interlocutor

noun

in·​ter·​loc·​u·​tor ˌin-tər-ˈlä-kyə-tər 

1

: one who takes part in dialogue or conversation

2

: a man in the middle of the line in a minstrel show who questions the end men and acts as leader

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Envoy Steve Witkoff has emerged as Washington's key interlocutor with Putin as Trump pushes for a deal to end the war, and has already held three long meetings with the Kremlin leader. —Anastasia Teterevleva and Mark Trevelyan, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

This comes amid threats by President Donald Trump that the US will resort to military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, with Israel’s help, should Tehran fail to reach a deal with its interlocutors. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025

All three leaders have been key interlocutors in efforts to tamp down tensions in the Middle East and bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war. —Arkansas Online, 8 Apr. 2025

But Vatican insiders and interlocutors said the pontiff wanted to avoid getting swept up in the polarizing politics that characterized his country. —Almudena Calatrava and Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin interloqui to speak between, issue an interlocutory decree, from inter- + loqui to speak

First Known Use

1514, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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