interlocutor
noun
Did you know?
It may not necessarily be grandiloquence to use the word interlocutor in casual speech, but if your interlocutors—that is, the people with whom you are speaking—are using it, your conversation is likely a formal one. Interlocutor is one of many English words that comes from the Latin verb loqui, “to speak,” including loquacious (“talkative”), eloquent (“capable of fluent or vivid speech”), and grandiloquence (“extravagant or pompous speech”). In interlocutor, loqui was joined to inter- forming a Latin word meaning “to speak between” or “to issue an interlocutory decree.” An interlocutory decree is a judicial decision that isn’t final, or that deals with a point other than the principal subject matter of the dispute.
Examples of interlocutor in a Sentence
Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
Her interlocutors, who come from other nations and cultural backgrounds, can also listen to Carol’s stubborn insistence on individualism and gently undermine her blinkered American assumption.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
The limited series co-stars Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis, a reclusive New York real estate heir widely suspected of murdering his first wife who decides to unburden himself to a suspicious interlocutor.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Nov. 2025
But platforming can be reasonable under circumstances in which an interlocutor is actually willing and able to counter the talking points of extremists like Fuentes.
—Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for interlocutor
Cite this Entry
“Interlocutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interlocutor. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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