Synonyms of judge

judge 1 of 2

noun

ˈjəj 

1

as in referee

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

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

2

as in court

a public official having authority to decide questions of law

the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• court
• magistrate
• jurist
• bench
• justice
• adjudicator
• circuit judge
• auditor
• chief justice
• justice of the peace
• beak
• master
• squire
• jurisconsult
• jurisprudent

judge

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to decide

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)

the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decide
• determine
• settle
• adjudicate
• adjudge
• arbitrate
• consider
• prosecute
• hear
• rule (on)
• referee
• resolve
• umpire
• weigh
• conclude
• deem
• ponder
• try
• deliberate
• mediate
• negotiate
• moderate
• find (for or against)
• redetermine
• size up
• rejudge

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hedge
• skirt
• equivocate
• pussyfoot

2

as in to estimate

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

• estimate
• calculate
• guess
• figure
• suppose
• make
• gauge
• put
• reckon
• understand
• place
• call
• conclude
• infer
• conjecture
• deduce
• gather
• extrapolate
• reason

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• measure
• scale
• compute
• calibrate
• work out

3

as in to understand

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

• understand
• decide
• derive
• infer
• conclude
• think
• guess
• deduce
• extrapolate
• reason
• assume
• speculate
• make out
• suppose
• ascertain
• read
• gather
• interpret
• draw a conclusion
• surmise
• contemplate
• construe
• conjecture
• rationalize
• find out
• philosophize
• dope (out)

4

as in to think

to have as an opinion

I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her

Synonyms & Similar Words

• think
• believe
• guess
• consider
• imagine
• figure
• suppose
• feel
• deem
• perceive
• conceive
• hold
• allow
• reckon
• assume
• esteem
• accept
• view
• presume
• regard
• depend
• rely
• trust
• infer
• conclude
• surmise
• deduce
• presuppose

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• suspect
• doubt
• question
• reject
• distrust
• discredit
• mistrust
• disbelieve

Synonym Chooser

How is the word judge distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of judge are conclude, deduce, gather, and infer. While all these words mean "to arrive at a mental conclusion," judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

When could conclude be used to replace judge?

The words conclude and judge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

How do deduce and infer relate to one another, in the sense of judge?

Deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

When is it sensible to use gather instead of judge?

In some situations, the words gather and judge are roughly equivalent. However, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

When can infer be used instead of judge?

While the synonyms infer and judge are close in meaning, infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of judge

Noun

Although he was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine in 2018, over the 2004 rape of Andrea Constand, a judge overturned the conviction in 2021. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Nov. 2025

But two judges separately ordered the government to keep the money following, ruling last week that the administration could not skip November’s benefits entirely. —Michelle L. Price, Fortune, 9 Nov. 2025

Verb

Beyond acting, Parker has a wine label in partnership with a company called Invivo, is judging the 2025 Booker Prize contest and works with the States Project, an advocacy group focused on advancing Democrat issues and candidates at the state level. —Megan Sauer, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025

But Chinese citizens, whose welfare is ostensibly the plan’s focus, will ultimately judge its success by whether their incomes rise and lives improve by 2030. —Shaoyu Yuan, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025