intermediary
/ˌɪntəˈmiːdiəri/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪntərˈmiːdieri/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌin-tər-ˈmē-dē-ˌer-ē/ (ame, mw)
intermediary — noun
- intermediarysingular
- intermediariesplural
1. a person or group whose job is to pass messages between two sides and help them
a person or group whose job is to pass messages between two sides and help them settle a deal, used when the two sides cannot or do not want to talk to each other themselves
A trusted intermediary carried offers back and forth between the two warring families.
intermediary between two opposing parties
Anong worked as an intermediary between the village and the mining firm.
act as an intermediary helping parties reach agreement
The buyer and seller never met; a lawyer acted as the intermediary between them.
Folake hired an intermediary to talk to the landlord on her behalf.
The shopping website acts as an intermediary, passing orders from city buyers to small farmers.
- go-between
everyday, less formal word for the same role
- mediator
stresses resolving a dispute, not just passing messages
- middleman
often about trade or money, sometimes with a negative tone
文法句型
intermediary between A and B
act as an intermediary
用法筆記
Subject is typically a neutral third party (a person, lawyer, agent, or organization) trusted by both sides. Often follows 'act as' or 'serve as', and takes 'between X and Y'.
常見錯誤
intermediary — adjective
- intermediarypositive
- more intermediarycomparative
- most intermediarysuperlative
1. placed or happening between two points, levels, or stages rather than at either
placed or happening between two points, levels, or stages rather than at either end
The river drops into an intermediary lake midway before it reaches the open sea.
intermediary + noun for a midway point
Aylin skipped the intermediary stages of the course and went straight to the final exam.
Between the boiling water and the eggs sits an intermediary layer of warm air.
The lorry unloads at an intermediary depot halfway between the port and the shop.
- intermediate
the usual everyday adjective for 'in between'
- middle
plainer word for a point between two others
文法句型
intermediary + noun
用法筆記
Only used before a noun, never after 'be'. In this sense 'intermediate' is far more common in everyday English; 'intermediary' as an adjective is rare and formal.
2. doing the work of passing messages between two sides and helping them agree
doing the work of passing messages between two sides and helping them agree
The council took on an intermediary role between the protesters and the police.
intermediary role between two sides
Isabela served in an intermediary capacity, carrying each side's terms to the other.
intermediary describing a go-between function
The charity played an intermediary part, linking refugees with local families willing to help.
Anjali was given an intermediary function, smoothing talks between the two unhappy departments.
- mediating
the more usual word for actively resolving a dispute
- go-between
used as a noun modifier for the same linking job
文法句型
intermediary + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (IN BETWEEN, about position): this sense describes an active go-between function and almost always modifies 'role', 'capacity', 'part', or 'function'.