In this study, we have investigated the solvent extraction of yttrium(III) and lanthanide(III) ions from nitric acid solutions in an organic phase consisting of a mixture of two electrically neutral extractants, namely tri-n-butyl phosphate(TBP) and N,N,N',N'-tetra(n-octyl)diglycolamide (TODGA). We employed hydrophobic room-temperature ionic liquid 1-methyl-3-butyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide as more environmentally benign diluent as compared to conventional molecular solvents. The results revealed that the addition of TBP as a co-extractant to TODGA dissolved in this ionic liquid not only enhance greatly the metal ion extraction, but also induce high intra-lanthanide ion selectivity. This was attributed to the formation of complex lanthanide species with both organic extracting agents, TBP and TODGA. In addition, when IL is used as diluent, cationic exchange between metal-organic ligand species and IL cations and neutral complex extraction result in more efficient extraction. Moreover, hydrophobic anionic IL entities could be also involved in the extraction mechanism resulting in the lipophilic metal-organic ligand complexes. The synergic solvent combination of TODGA, TBP and ionic liquid offers a possibility of excellent separation among the lanthanide(III) ions.