as in obvious
not subject to misinterpretation or more than one interpretation
a decided hint of perfume on her skin
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in opted
to come to a judgment about after discussion or consideration
they decided to go out for pizza after the movie was over
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in determined
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the judge decided that the defendant was not liable for damages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in arranged
to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of
we waited for our captors to decide our fate
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in settled
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute
the huge sum that they were offering decided the matter: we would sell the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in derived
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
the commanding officer decided that the soldier was indeed telling the truth
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 decided
Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024
Social media reaction is mixed, albeit with a decided tilt toward outrage.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Once the Ravens opted to rest several key players last week against the Bengals in Cincinnati and the hosts took an early lead, the game’s outcome became more or less decided.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2023
In a battle royale shooter, for instance, a small group of players communicating outside the game could stay together and gain a decided firepower advantage against their single opponents.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Nov. 2022
They’re confined to a pre-decided go-zone.
—Hannah Fry, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2018
Among decided voters, 86 percent of those who voted for the Ennahda and 84 percent of those who supported the FJP in the last elections would vote for them again.
—Lindsay Benstead, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2013
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Hundreds of thousands of the paper’s readers abandoned it last year when Bezos decided not to endorse in the presidential election and to overhaul the opinion section.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced that his caucus will meet virtually on Monday evening after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) decided to keep the House in recess next week while the government shutdown fight continues to play out in the Senate.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2025
The Treasury has not set a date for when the final draft will be decided, but the government shutdown may delay a final decision.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Durbin decided to refuse the honor.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
So what are the two things the government decided to regulate?
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
The team decided to step into the conversation on social media.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
On Sunday, the European captain, Luke Donald, decided to roll the Northern Irishman out fourth in singles.
—Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Households are broadly cutting their discretionary spending and making a decided turn toward the practical.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024
Social media reaction is mixed, albeit with a decided tilt toward outrage.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Once the Ravens opted to rest several key players last week against the Bengals in Cincinnati and the hosts took an early lead, the game’s outcome became more or less decided.
—Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 13 Jan. 2023
In a battle royale shooter, for instance, a small group of players communicating outside the game could stay together and gain a decided firepower advantage against their single opponents.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 28 Nov. 2022
They’re confined to a pre-decided go-zone.
—Hannah Fry, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2018
Among decided voters, 86 percent of those who voted for the Ennahda and 84 percent of those who supported the FJP in the last elections would vote for them again.
—Lindsay Benstead, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2013
Verb
Eighteen nations are already guaranteed a spot in the tournament next June and July, meaning there are 30 (yes, 30) still to be decided.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Hundreds of thousands of the paper’s readers abandoned it last year when Bezos decided not to endorse in the presidential election and to overhaul the opinion section.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced that his caucus will meet virtually on Monday evening after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) decided to keep the House in recess next week while the government shutdown fight continues to play out in the Senate.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2025
The Treasury has not set a date for when the final draft will be decided, but the government shutdown may delay a final decision.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Durbin decided to refuse the honor.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
So what are the two things the government decided to regulate?
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
The team decided to step into the conversation on social media.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
On Sunday, the European captain, Luke Donald, decided to roll the Northern Irishman out fourth in singles.
—Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decided
Adjective
-
The Seahawks put the Bucs in obvious situations, then offered little resistance.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
One obvious strategy to try to tackle the staffing problems is to close more prisons, and this year’s state budget authorized Governor Hochul to close up to three more.—
Jennifer Gonnerman,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The ruling especially makes those with no other lawful pathways vulnerable to deportation to a homeland in turmoil so extreme the federal government opted to grant TPS in the first place.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Other senior officials opted to leave, including the bureau’s top fraud expert, cryptanalyst and skyjacking expert, and the head of its Crime Information Center.—
Douglas M. Charles,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There is no update on the containment progress of the fire and its cause has yet to be determined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Safety Julian Love is still day to day with a hamstring injury, and his availability will be determined at the end of the week, Macdonald said.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Two mental health professionals are arranged to testify on the impact of all of these factors, Reynolds said.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The continual delays have led to many embarrassing moments, the most recent coming last Tuesday, when, after Barca officials told the media the Camp Nou was ready, the Barcelona city council arranged a press conference of their own in reply.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Treinen got up and started throwing in the bullpen as Snell settled in to face Bryce Harper.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The lawsuit says the deputies acted without probable cause, and the case was settled with Solano County.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The first is that while most enterprises haven’t derived tangible advantages from adopting AI just yet, individuals have.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Researchers utilized ex vivo gut microbiome cultures derived from stool samples of five healthy volunteers.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Foreclosure would become nonviable as a means of tax collection — with no readily apparent alternative means for timely collection of the delinquent revenue.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Remember, magnitude is the scale used by astronomers to chart the apparent brightness of an object in the night sky.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
They should not be judged on running into a buzzsaw, but that’s what team officials said last October when the red-hot New York Mets ran through them.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Reviews out of Cannes, however, judged the drama, co-written by Durringer with Patrick Rotman, as relatively light, and the release was less of a bombshell moment than expected.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decided.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decided. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share