Synonyms of buffer

buffer 1 of 2

noun

ˈbə-fər 

1

as in mediator

one who works with opposing sides in order to bring about an agreement

it took a friend serving as a buffer between the feuding siblings to get them to speak to one another again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mediator
• negotiator
• intermediary
• broker
• intermediate
• liaison
• ambassador
• peacemaker
• honest broker
• proxy
• middleman
• agent
• conciliator
• intercessor
• interceder
• negotiant
• attorney
• moderator
• referee
• delegate
• interposer
• representative
• factor
• adviser
• envoy
• go-between
• judge
• messenger
• umpire
• deputy
• arbiter
• pacificator
• troubleshooter
• arbitrator
• reconciler
• medium
• emissary
• counselor
• bargainer
• pacifier
• procurator
• legate
• appeaser
• interferer
• meddler
• busybody

2

as in pad

something that serves as a protective barrier

the excelsior acts as an additional buffer for the marble bust during shipping

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pad
• shield
• cushion
• bumper
• fender
• padding
• cocoon
• cushioning
• barricade
• safeguard
• baffle
• muffler
• cordon

buffer

2 of 2

verb

as in to soften

to lessen the shock of

during my walk an umbrella and thick coat buffered the freezing rain

Synonyms & Similar Words

• soften
• cushion
• mitigate
• alleviate
• modulate
• temper
• gentle
• dull
• moderate
• obtund
• baffle
• relieve
• dampen
• deaden
• allay
• lighten
• ease
• assuage

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• intensify
• sharpen
• heighten

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of buffer

Noun

As Marin County residents prepare for what could be increased flooding this winter, officials have developed a plan to use an existing reservoir as a buffer for the heavy rains to come. — John Ramos, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Five years earlier my brother had gotten married, leaving me home alone without the buffers of his distracted affection, his big brotherly insouciance, his rebellious indifference to the emotional chasm widening between our parents. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Verb

Air pockets trapped between overlapping leaves moderate the soil temperature and slow heat transfer, buffering against the freeze-thaw cycles that heave soil, fracture plant roots and expose beneficial soil microbes to lethal cold. — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026

The footpad cannot extract energy from chemically inert surfaces such as plastic, glass, soil, or organic tissue, prompting the team to add a small onboard supercapacitor to buffer power across dead zones. — New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026