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
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Recent Examples of adjudicators
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
Similarly, the program still has eight adjudicators, known as special masters, to review all cases before the government.
—Matthew Perrone, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
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
Similarly, the program still has eight adjudicators, known as special masters, to review all cases before the government.
—Matthew Perrone, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjudicators
Noun
-
All three judges scored the fight 119-109, giving just one round to Lopez.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The Department of Homeland Security announced the termination of TPS designation for immigrants from multiple countries, including Honduras, Nepal and South Sudan, though federal judges have stymied many of those efforts.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Department of Justice last month sued the clerk of the Fulton County superior and magistrate courts in federal court seeking access to documents from the 2020 election in the county.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The Budapest Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday asked the courts to level a fine against Karacsony for stepping in to co-organize the event under the auspices of the capital municipality, according a statement published on Wednesday.—
Thomas Escritt,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Compared to cricket and rugby, perhaps compared to other footballing countries, referees regularly make high-profile mistakes in the Premier League, and the introduction of the VAR system has been shambolic at times.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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That makes the task of sorting wheat from chaff much more time-consuming for editors and referees, and also more technically difficult.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Years ago, Major League Baseball had a crisis in which umpires notoriously had their own versions of the strike zone for batters.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
That committee is set to vote later this year on managers, executives and umpires, with Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker among those who could be elected for the Class of 2027.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Adjudicators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjudicators. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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