Definition of mediatenext
as in halfway
occupying a position equally distant from the ends or extremes has a black-and-white view of human nature, believing that there is no mediate state between good and evil

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word mediate different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of mediate are intercede, interfere, interpose, and intervene. While all these words mean "to come or go between," mediate implies intervening between hostile factions.

mediated between the parties

When could intercede be used to replace mediate?

The words intercede and mediate can be used in similar contexts, but intercede implies acting for an offender in begging mercy or forgiveness.

interceded on our behalf

When would interfere be a good substitute for mediate?

The synonyms interfere and mediate are sometimes interchangeable, but interfere implies hindering.

noise interfered with my concentration

When is it sensible to use interpose instead of mediate?

Although the words interpose and mediate have much in common, interpose often implies no more than this.

interposed herself between him and the door

When can intervene be used instead of mediate?

While the synonyms intervene and mediate are close in meaning, intervene may imply an occurring in space or time between two things or a stepping in to stop a conflict.

quarreled until the manager intervened

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mediate
Adjective
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who had been helping mediate talks, said negotiations were ongoing and making progress. — Franco Ordoñez, NPR, 7 Mar. 2026 His involvement with Habitat for Humanity, and his work around the world to eradicate disease, mediate conflict and monitor elections all give testament to a godly life lived well. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
It was spearheaded by the United States and Britain and was an attempt to mediate a solution between the Rhodesian government and Black nationalist leaders. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 But how will the company adapt as the customer experience is increasingly mediated by AI? — Harvard Business Review, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mediate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mediate
Adjective
  • The 24-year-old, like Gordon, who replaced him in the second half, offered energetic pressing, even sprinting from close to the halfway line to close down the goalkeeper at one point.
    — Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The 26-year-old information technology administrator consumed a Red Bull energy drink around the film's halfway mark to stay alert.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 25 July 2026
Verb
  • The copilot allegedly stabbed the captain in the cockpit before passengers intervened aboard FlyDubai Flight FZ1073 after taking off from Dubai, UAE, with 182 people including eight crew members flying to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday.
    — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • When managers repeatedly intervene in the same situation, treat it as process feedback.
    — Michael Goshka, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Most business problems live in a middle zone where part of the output can be checked automatically and the rest needs judgment.
    — Dhyey Mavani, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Edwin Díaz was coming in from the bullpen, not to the accompaniment of a live trumpeter preceding a save opportunity, but to a recording preceding a middle inning of an uninspiring defeat.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The terms of the restraining order will bar Gupta and his gallery from interfering at all with Longcraft’s interest in the works.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2026
  • If a person interferes or one step fails, the system can adjust its plan and retry rather than requiring the entire task to be restarted.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The new rules also call for closer regulation of intermediary agencies that assist people with leaving China, and task them with reporting anyone who tries to exit unlawfully.
    — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Beer distribution—the highly lucrative and highly protected intermediary industry between brewers and bars—is one.
    — John Lanchester, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • For the Sk8-Hi, the upper’s medial side hosts both the full Dodgers script and the LA logo, the latter of which repeats at the top of the heel.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The operation is a grafting procedure in which doctors take tendons from another part of the body – the forearm, hamstring, hip or knee – and replace the medial ligament in the elbow with the grafted portion.
    — Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The giveaways were typical of a man who made extraordinary wealth and generosity central to his public image.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The remark underscores the central significance of Serra’s text—of language—to the content of Shift.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Meet the new power couple—but there’s a catch DINKs have long been the couple to envy on paper, with a median household income of $193,900, compared with $151,900 for dual-income couples with kids, per Pew Research Center.
    — Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Circana found that the median little treat costs $5, and the median price of consumers’ most expensive little treat is $10.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mediate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mediate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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