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 Guinness World Records adjudicator Andy Glass verified the official ticket sales figures and confirmed the record to Variety. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 17 July 2026 In order to officially break the record, there were rules that had to be followed, said Chloe McCarthy, an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records. — Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 12 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
  • Soccer authorities expected more cameras, replay angles and tracking data to mitigate referee error, limit subjectivity and strengthen perceptions of fairness.
    — Pooya Tabesh, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • In Warsh’s parlance, the market was playing the referee, not the ball.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Definition of referee
Noun
  • This contrasts sharply with a federal judge's decision days earlier, blocking Minnesota from criminalizing prediction markets, a win for Kalshi and the CFTC who argue federal preemption.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • First applied by a few individual judges in 2019, it was rubber-stamped by a lower section of the supreme court in 2023, which led to regional judges across the country, who rule on citizenship cases, applying it to would-be citizens.
    — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of judge
Noun
  • Pirates manager Don Kelly was ejected in the fifth inning by home plate umpire James Hoye, Kelly's sixth ejection of the season, most in the majors.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Manager Blake Butera got in the face of umpire Manny Gonzalez and was ejected for the first time this season, a decision that was appreciated inside the clubhouse.
    — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of umpire
Noun
  • Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services found 12 categories of abuse and neglect of the Gray children connected to Marcee, including inadequate food, shelter and medical care, director Candice Broce said in court.
    — Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But the two men want additional amenities such as pickleball courts or soccer fields that give more people a reason to keep coming back.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 1 Aug. 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 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
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
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All