What does "moderator" mean?
Someone who moderates.
Moderator
/ˈmɒdəˌɹeɪtə(ɹ)/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Someone who moderates.
- Grammar: moderator is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: alleviative, alleviator, anchorman, anodyne.
- Useful contrasts: amplify, audience, exacerbate.
- Usage evidence: Many websites prohibit misleading usernames that imply an official role on the website such as "admin," "administrator," "webmaster," "system operator," "sysop," or "moderator."
How to use "moderator"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "moderator" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "moderator" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "moderator" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "moderator" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "moderator" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "alleviative" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "moderator", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Someone who moderates.
"Angling was […] a moderator of passions."
- 2 someone who mediates disputes and attempts to avoid violence wordnet
- 3 Someone who moderates.; An arbitrator or mediator.
- 4 someone who presides over a forum or debate wordnet
- 5 Someone who moderates.; The chair or president of a meeting, etc.
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 in the Presbyterian church, the officer who presides over a synod or general assembly wordnet
- 7 Someone who moderates.; A person who enforces the rules of a discussion forum by deleting posts, banning users, etc. Internet
"The post was eventually removed by the subreddit’s moderators as potentially fake, but not before a screenshot of it went viral on Twitter and dozens of outlets circulated the story with headlines like “Girl Gets Sweet, Fiery Revenge on Ex With ‘Game of Thrones’ Spoilers.” […] Before r/relationships, Anne was a moderator in the similar but much more unruly r/relationship_advice, where she had to teach herself how to do the job."
- 8 any substance used to slow down neutrons in nuclear reactors wordnet
- 9 The person who presides over a synod of a Presbyterian church.
- 10 A substance (often water or graphite) used to decrease the speed of fast neutrons in a nuclear reactor and hence increase likelihood of fission.
- 11 A device used to deaden some of the noise from a firearm, although not to the same extent as a suppressor or silencer.
- 12 An examiner at Oxford and Cambridge universities. UK
"One hall called Civil Law Hall or School, flouriſhed about this time (though in its buildings decayed) by the care of the learned and judicious Dr. Will. Warham Principal or Moderator thereof […]"
- 13 At the University of Dublin, either the first (senior) or second (junior) in rank in an examination for the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Ireland
- 14 Someone who supervises and monitors the setting and marking of examinations by different people to ensure consistency of standards. UK
- 15 A mechanical arrangement for regulating motion in a machine, or producing equality of effect.
- 16 A kind of lamp in which the flow of the oil to the wick is regulated. historical
Antonyms
Example
"Many websites prohibit misleading usernames that imply an official role on the website such as "admin," "administrator," "webmaster," "system operator," "sysop," or "moderator.""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "moderator"?
Common synonyms include: alleviative, alleviator, anchorman, anodyne, arbiter, arbitrator.
How do you use "moderator" in a sentence?
Many websites prohibit misleading usernames that imply an official role on the website such as "admin," "administrator," "webmaster," "system operator," "sysop," or "moderator."
How do you pronounce "moderator"?
Pronounced /ˈmɒdəˌɹeɪtə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin moderātor. First attested as Middle English moderatour. By surface analysis, moderate + -or.