intermediary

1 of 2

noun

in·​ter·​me·​di·​ary ˌin-tər-ˈmē-dē-ˌer-ē 

plural intermediaries

1

a

: mediator, go-between

b

: medium, means

2

: an intermediate form, product, or stage

intermediary

2 of 2

adjective

1

: intermediate

2

: acting as a mediator

an intermediary agent

an intermediary particle

Did you know?

Since inter- means "between, among", an intermediary is someone who moves back and forth in the middle area between two sides—a "go-between". Mediator (which shares the medi- root) is often a synonym, and so is facilitator; broker and agent are often others. Thus, a real-estate broker or agent shuttles between a house's buyer and seller, who may never even meet each other. Financial intermediation is what happens when you put money in a bank or investment firm, which then invests it in various companies; if you want, you can instead cut out the intermediary and invest the money directly in companies of your own choosing.

Synonyms of intermediary

Noun

• mediator
• negotiator
• broker
• middleman
• intermediate
• liaison
• ambassador
• intercessor
• buffer
• agent
• negotiant

Adjective

• halfway
• intermediate
• middle
• medial
• mediate
• central
• median

Examples of intermediary in a Sentence

Noun

He served as an intermediary between the workers and the executives.

in the past he's served as an intermediary in several hostage situations

Adjective

the bridal couple were regally ensconced in intermediary seats at the head table

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The payments went to intermediaries scattered across the United States, prosecutors say, before being moved through other accounts and ultimately back to the people running the operation in Colombia. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026

By formalizing direct material corridors between Africa’s raw material producers and Asia’s manufacturing hubs, BRICS is effectively constructing an alternative supply network that bypasses traditional Western intermediaries. — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Beer distribution—the highly lucrative and highly protected intermediary industry between brewers and bars—is one. — John Lanchester, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

This intermediary text is then fed back through all the layers again to create the next steps, and so on, until the model reaches its final answer and outputs the answer text. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

intermediary

adjective

in·​ter·​me·​di·​ary

ˌint-ər-ˈmēd-ē-ˌer-ē

1

: intermediate

an intermediary stage

2

: acting as a mediator

intermediary agent

intermediary noun

Medical Definition

intermediary

noun

in·​ter·​me·​di·​ary ˌint-ər-ˈmēd-ē-ˌer-ē 

plural intermediaries

1

: mediator

2

: an intermediate form, product, or stage

intermediary adjective

Legal Definition

intermediary

noun

in·​ter·​me·​di·​ary

ˌin-tər-ˈmē-dē-ˌer-ē

plural intermediaries

: one that acts as a means or go-between in a matter involving other parties

a reinsurance intermediary

see also learned intermediary

intermediary adjective