1
as in judges
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
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2
as in courts
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
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Recent Examples of adjudicators
The department disputes that, saying judges are independent adjudicators who decide cases individually.
—
Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Thomas Bradford is one of 81 adjudicators the company employs across six continents.
—Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Lahoud said the adjudicators follow a flowchart — and if the applicant meets the minimum criteria, the person can expect an approval notice to arrive within days.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
The Justice Department’s defense primarily rests on the notion that agency adjudicators like the Merit Systems Protection Board — not federal courts — must decide the disputes.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 15 Oct. 2025
In recent months, EOIR leadership has criticized judges for not efficiently managing their caseloads, and has encouraged adjudicators to streamline asylum reviews and give oral, as opposed to written, decisions on case dismissals.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
Edlow told The Associated Press that the guidance was intended to identify support for terrorist ideologies—not to penalize ordinary political criticism—when adjudicators evaluated applicants for green cards and other benefits.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
This led to many longtime employees of companies leaving the United States when USCIS adjudicators rejected their H-1B applications.
—Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Under the plans, an independent body of adjudicators would be created to handle asylum appeals and reduce the backlog of 106,000 cases, including 51,000 appeals with average wait times exceeding a year.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Thomas Bradford is one of 81 adjudicators the company employs across six continents.
—Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Lahoud said the adjudicators follow a flowchart — and if the applicant meets the minimum criteria, the person can expect an approval notice to arrive within days.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
The Justice Department’s defense primarily rests on the notion that agency adjudicators like the Merit Systems Protection Board — not federal courts — must decide the disputes.
—Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 15 Oct. 2025
In recent months, EOIR leadership has criticized judges for not efficiently managing their caseloads, and has encouraged adjudicators to streamline asylum reviews and give oral, as opposed to written, decisions on case dismissals.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
Edlow told The Associated Press that the guidance was intended to identify support for terrorist ideologies—not to penalize ordinary political criticism—when adjudicators evaluated applicants for green cards and other benefits.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
This led to many longtime employees of companies leaving the United States when USCIS adjudicators rejected their H-1B applications.
—Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Under the plans, an independent body of adjudicators would be created to handle asylum appeals and reduce the backlog of 106,000 cases, including 51,000 appeals with average wait times exceeding a year.
—Reuters, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjudicators
Noun
-
Denver District Attorney John Walsh in August vowed to better his office’s practices after judges tossed a handful of cases over discovery violations, and Denver prosecutors last fall found discovery problems with another 750 cases.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The series also features former contestants Tayshia Adams and Tyler Cameron as judges.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Self is not expecting relief from the courts.—
Gary Bedore
March 4,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The focus on student experience, the complex will include six tennis courts, four pickleball courts, and one basketball court, all lit for night action.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Two referees, multiple teammates and staff members quickly worked to separate the women and a referee was knocked to the ground in the melee.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Is there a solution to referees work schedules?—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Human umpires will continue to call balls and strikes.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The creativity wasn’t approved by the umpires.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adjudicators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjudicators. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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