adjudicator

noun

Definition of adjudicatornext
1
as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy since they seemed to be in a hopeless stalemate, both labor and management agreed to use an independent adjudicator to decide the terms of the contract

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the appellate court refused to hear the case, thus allowing the judgment of previous adjudicators to stand

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 adjudicator Some adjudicators are shifting into fraud and security roles, a former USCIS official told CBS News. — Data Journalist, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Guinness World Records adjudicator Andy Glass verified the official ticket sales figures and confirmed the record to Variety. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 17 July 2026 Styles was presented with his certificate by Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford on stage. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026 Immigration adjudicators may discourage visa holders like Maya from seeking employment after layoffs, thereby limiting their opportunities to stay and work in America. — Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Confirming the fort’s record breaking size required a visit from an official Guinness World Records adjudicator. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 June 2026 The competition included 23 players who supplied preliminary video performances; adjudicators selected 12 finalists. — Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 6 May 2026 The judge prohibited redetention without notice and a hearing before a neutral adjudicator. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 The instructors at the Atomic Ballroom, based in Costa Mesa, led the dance record effort, giving a step-by-step instruction to those who showed up, the Guinness World Record adjudicator counting the crowd. — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjudicator
  1. referee
  2. judge
  3. umpire
  4. court
Noun
  • 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
  • The fight ended in a TKO loss to 9-1 Shannon Clark when the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of referee
Noun
  • Separately, the three law professors contacted by The Post reviewed the judge's ruling in Bakken's case, as well as portions of Gist's memorandum and the legal official's email.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The family court judge in the case, Marlon Weiss, was appointed by DeSantis in 2025 to the Circuit Court in Broward.
    — Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of judge
Noun
  • Federal prosecutors say Cathcart was an umpire, including at Little League baseball games organized through the Waterford Coaches Association, and volunteered for youth hockey.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Wearing a blue-and-red batting helmet, a warm-up jacket, and military fatigues, the Cuban leader watched as Chávez delivered a fastball that the umpire called strike three.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of umpire
Noun
  • Police charged 52-year-old Mooresville resident Rod Moskowitz with assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, court records show.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
  • But even when Antetokounmpo was on the court in the second half, the Heat struggled.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of court

Browse Nearby Words

adjudications
adjudicator
adjudicators
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All