moderator.

1. A person who guides a discussion or manages participation and conduct in a forum.

2. A variable whose value or condition changes the relationship between other variables.

3. A material used to slow neutrons in a nuclear reactor without absorbing too many of them.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• discussion moderator
• forum moderator

On the page

The discussion moderator gave each speaker time to answer the central objection.

A forum moderator removed the duplicate posts without endorsing the remaining arguments.

Usage notes

Primary category: science / research / methodology. Forms: Singular moderator; plural moderators. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: method specification, measurement critique, model interpretation, qualification. Disciplines: research methods, statistics, experimental design. Commonness: moderately common.