questioner

questioner — noun

1. someone who puts a question to another person, especially in a formal setting su

1.nounB2
Definition

someone who puts a question to another person, especially in a formal setting such as a discussion, an interview, or a public meeting where many people are present

Example

At the press conference, a questioner asked the minister about hospital funding.

prepositional phrase opening + questioner as subject

The teacher called on the next questioner, a girl at the back of the room.

collocation: next questioner

Common collocations
  • first questioner
  • next questioner
  • questioner asked
  • questioner wanted to know
  • questioner in the audience
Synonyms
  • asker

    less formal; used in everyday conversation rather than formal settings

  • interrogator

    much stronger and more confrontational; suggests pressure or hostility, not polite inquiry

  • inquirer

    more formal and slightly dated; often implies a search for knowledge rather than a single question

Antonyms
  • respondent

    the person who answers, especially in a survey or legal context

  • answerer

    less common; the person who gives a reply

Usage Note

This noun is most common in formal or structured settings — debates, press conferences, Q&A sessions, and classroom discussions. In everyday casual conversation, speakers usually say 'the person who asked' instead of 'the questioner'.

Common Mistakes

Please fill out this questioner before the interview.
Please fill out this questionnaire before the interview.
'questioner' is a person; 'questionnaire' is a form with questions.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone who puts a question to another person, but they differ sharply in tone and context. 'Questioner' is neutral and fits formal group settings — debates, press conferences, classrooms. 'Asker' is the everyday alternative: 'the asker of the first question' sounds natural in casual talk, but too plain in writing. 'Interrogator' shifts to a hostile register, carrying overtones of police stations, cross-examination, or aggressive questioning. 'Inquirer' (or 'enquirer' in British spelling) feels more literary and suggests a person seeking knowledge over time ('a curious inquirer after truth'), rather than someone asking a single question. Use 'questioner' for formal Q&A; 'asker' for informal chat; avoid 'interrogator' unless the tone is genuinely forceful.

questioner ↗askerinterrogatorinquirer

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • first questioner
  • next questioner
  • the questioner asked
  • the questioner wanted to know

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English from 'question' (a noun and verb meaning 'to ask') plus the agent suffix '-er', which marks a person who does something. 'Question' itself comes from Old French 'question', from Latin 'quaestiō', meaning 'a seeking, a search, an inquiry'.