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listener

listener

228 1.0
A person who pays attention and hears what others say
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪsənər/
translation icon : oyente
  • During the meeting, she was the best listener, taking notes and asking insightful questions.
  • listeners hear
  • speaker and listener
  • listener performance

They don't seem like good listeners, amongst other things.

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Examples

Synonyms

hearer
vslistener
7 2.8

A person who listens carefully to what someone says

is more general, meaning someone who attends to speech without special role
auditor
vslistener
  • Archaic
3 5.8

A person who listens quietly to a talk or performance

is a plain attentive person rather than an audience or formal participant
long-time listener
vslistener
3 3.0

A person who has often listened to a radio or TV show for years

is any attentive person regardless of how long they pay attention

Compounds

A person who has often listened to a radio or TV show for years

How Attentive

listener
228 1.0
hearer
7 2.8

Surface Forms

listener singular
listeners plural

Morphology

listener = listen (transparent) = listen + er

Clear agentive derivation: 'listen' + '-er' yields 'a person who listens', which B1 learners can derive.

Etymology

Listener comes from the verb listen, from an old English word meaning 'to hear and pay attention', and the ending -er meaning 'someone who does'. So a listener is a person who hears and gives attention to what is being said.