JUDGES Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

judges 1 of 2

noun

Definition of judges

plural of judge

as in referees

a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy their father always played the role of judge when there was a disagreement between the siblings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in courts

a public official having authority to decide questions of law the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

judges

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of judge

as in decides

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in estimates

to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement considering the amount of dough we have, I judge we'll get about six dozen cookies out of it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in derives

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information I judge that the girl has had a troubled relationship with her mother

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in thinks

to have as an opinion I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of judges

Noun

Two years ago, the judges ruled that cities can ban people from sleeping and camping in public places. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026 The judges love this all-over-the-place contemporary, but Julia looks a little lost throughout. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 Several former judges and prosecutors have joined supporters seeking a new trial for Johnson over questions about his conviction. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026 In the event of a tie, the videos with the same score will be re-judged on the same criteria by a different set of judges. — CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Meloni also said the government would add new beds to detention facilities and judges to the juvenile justice system. — Colleen Barry, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 The Department of Justice appealed after federal judges ruled in June in favor of advocates who said the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program risked becoming a tool for political retribution. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Trump has attacked judges, including his own Supreme Court nominees. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 Nobody seriously argues that the gap proves our police, prosecutors, judges, and juries are biased against men. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Verb

For an adolescent navigating friendships, rejection, identity and belonging, something that never judges them or gossips and is always available can be incredibly compelling. — Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 He was seen on the CBS broadcast giving one of the side judges an earful. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Victor runs straight for a shield, and everyone judges him for it. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 This week’s newsletter looks at why people are drinking less alcohol, how the world judges America and how many people use chatbots like a friend. — Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026 That’s a hard sell in a market that judges most leaders on quarterly results. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026 MasterChef Australia judges Yeow and Sofia Levin later spoke to 10 News about welcoming Meghan to the set, describing an enthusiastic atmosphere among the contestants. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 Which means Beijing is regulating what your fifteen-year-old does after dinner, behind a closed door, with an entity that never tires of them, never judges them, and never has a bad day of its own. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 But on the third day of qualifying for Wimbledon 2026, a power outage downed the electronic line-calling system that judges whether shots are in or out, causing matches across 18 courts to be suspended for over an hour. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges

Noun

The 11th overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, who helped Michigan win the national title last season, said he was astonished at the way Doncic worked the referees for foul calls.

— Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
So common was this practice that by the middle of the century, insurance companies were regularly employing their own medical referees to submit thorough and unbiased reports for review.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of referees

Noun

But his planning doesn’t mean that the tax would survive the courts, and in any case, not every billionaire will necessarily make similar arrangements.

— Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Rubio has argued that before holding new elections, Venezuela must stabilize its economy and rebuild its institutions, including its courts and electoral council.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of courts

Verb

Yannis decides to go for STP, a Black Forest gâteau, and a Mary Berry’s recipe for Queen of Desserts, which is a mix of breadcrumbs and custard with jam and topped with meringue.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Federal agencies have overlapping jurisdiction over captive marine mammals –– for sea lions, the USDA oversees their welfare and NOAA decides who can keep them for public display.

— Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of decides

Verb

At full capacity, the company estimates that the new facility could feature approximately 600 employees.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
One recent analysis estimates that the Big Three took between 10 and 15 years to catch up with Japanese advances in production efficiency.

— Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of estimates

Verb

FirstDate primarily derives those preferences from questionnaires.

— Matthew Tan, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
The power of prediction markets derives precisely from sucking our attention toward what’s speculable—incentivizing the networked crowd to separate signal from noise at scale.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of derives

Verb

Although the mattress developed some minor misshaping after a month of heavy use, Moon still thinks it’s packed with value.

— Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
Elon Musk thinks future economies could measure wealth using the laws of physics instead of dollars.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of thinks

Browse Nearby Words

judged

judges

judging

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of judges

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes