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

The Gulf emirate has been chief interlocutor in the on-and-off ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas in their ongoing war in Gaza. —Aamer Madhani, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2025

Perhaps someone will purport to discover the areas of a model that light up when the AI thinks its interlocutor is lying; already, Anthropic has expressed some confidence that a model’s own occasional deceptiveness can be identified. —Jonathan L. Zittrain, The Atlantic, 21 May 2025

Many of the interlocutors in Russia sound like they’ve been steeped in Putin’s propaganda. —Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

He was trained in the art of manipulating interlocutors. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 26 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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