Synonyms of arbiter

arbiter

noun

ˈär-bə-tər 

as in referee

a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy

the dean of student affairs is the proper arbiter when a student disputes a grade

Synonyms & Similar Words

• referee
• judge
• umpire
• arbitrator
• negotiator
• moderator
• magistrate
• adjudicator
• mediator
• jurist
• intermediary
• justice
• conciliator
• peacemaker
• intermediate
• reconciler
• mediatrix
• decider
• troubleshooter
• go-between

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of arbiter

Hip-hop tilted the pop axis at the turn of the millennium and remains an arbiter of its taste. — Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026

The report also said that a single person who was tapped as a neutral negotiator between LAWA and LINXS became a de facto arbiter of disputes around large money claims who instructed LAWA to pay $97 million to LINXS. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026

The fact that the United States, in its recent conflict with Iran, directly destabilized international energy markets undermines the country’s claim to be a fair arbiter of the global commons. — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026

For the science-fiction concepts underpinning that world, including gravity control, faster-than-light communication and cognitive materialization, Kamiyama worked with novelist Toh EnJoe, credited as SF setting supervisor, as an outside arbiter. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026