as in referees
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
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Recent Examples of arbiters
And right-wing politicians who accuse pro-Palestinian students of antisemitism are hardly credible arbiters.
—
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
For decades, brands have been the arbiters and gatekeepers of style.
—Corey Buhay, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
The 2000 Kids' Choice Awards actually had four cohosts serving as arbiters of the main emcee, Rosie O'Donnell.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
If Big Tech companies become the arbiters of training and credentialing, universities risk losing even more ground in the race to remain relevant.
—Jason Wingard, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The All England Club's decision to jettison line judges in favour of technology carries an air of inevitability as the world embraces AI but the human arbiters of the boundaries of the tennis court are hoping to continue playing a key role.
—Shrivathsa Sridhar, Reuters, 27 June 2025
The Academy Awards are not the final arbiters of taste, artistry or even cultural impact.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2025
Government lawyers aren’t the final arbiters on what’s legal.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
However, a hard truth for Elon Musk to face may be that X users are largely incapable of discerning facts without relying on traditional fact-checking organizations that Musk disagrees should be the sole arbiters of truth online.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2025
Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
For decades, brands have been the arbiters and gatekeepers of style.
—Corey Buhay, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
The 2000 Kids' Choice Awards actually had four cohosts serving as arbiters of the main emcee, Rosie O'Donnell.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
If Big Tech companies become the arbiters of training and credentialing, universities risk losing even more ground in the race to remain relevant.
—Jason Wingard, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
The All England Club's decision to jettison line judges in favour of technology carries an air of inevitability as the world embraces AI but the human arbiters of the boundaries of the tennis court are hoping to continue playing a key role.
—Shrivathsa Sridhar, Reuters, 27 June 2025
The Academy Awards are not the final arbiters of taste, artistry or even cultural impact.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2025
Government lawyers aren’t the final arbiters on what’s legal.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025
However, a hard truth for Elon Musk to face may be that X users are largely incapable of discerning facts without relying on traditional fact-checking organizations that Musk disagrees should be the sole arbiters of truth online.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbiters
Noun
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Despite her sentiment toward the referees, the Fever were whistled for eight fewer fouls (14 to 22) than the Dream in their Game 3 win.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
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Multiple people close to Clark, including Cunningham, Fever Coach Stephanie White and even Clark's brother have spoken out about questionable treatment of the WNBA phenom by referees.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The performance drew praise for its elegance and control, with judges highlighting Efron’s growing command of ballroom technique.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Federal judges aren’t required to follow guidelines.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This zone is crucial for pitch framing, where catchers use their presentation to influence umpires into calling borderline pitches strikes.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
27 Sep. 2025
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Springer’s comments suggested that the umpires were actively looking for ways to drive the Blue Jays down in the standings so that the Yankees could take the division.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbiters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbiters. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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