interlocutor
noun
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
Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
LeBlanc, who served as Minister of Finance in former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, has been a key interlocutor in the ongoing trade dispute with the United States, and traveled to Washington yesterday for a meeting with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
—Olivia Kemp, CNN, 14 Mar. 2025
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is Russia’s principal interlocutor in OPEC, which has significant influence over global oil markets.
—Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2025
Where Reagan talked and acted kind toward weaker interlocutors such as Ottawa and tough toward menacing ones such as Moscow, Trump does the inverse.
—Andreas Kluth, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for interlocutor
Cite this Entry
“Interlocutor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interlocutor. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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