Synonyms of deciding

deciding 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈsī-diŋ 

as in decisive

serving to put an end to all debate or questioning

the project's prohibitive cost was the deciding factor in its cancellation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decisive
• conclusive
• last
• definitive
• determinative
• clear
• determinate
• definite
• absolute
• convincing
• dispositive
• telling
• compelling
• sure
• indisputable
• positive
• unquestionable
• undeniable
• unanswerable
• incontestable
• uncontested
• irrefutable
• undisputed
• incontrovertible
• indubitable
• undisputable
• certain
• unchallenged
• inarguable
• undebatable
• unequivocal
• unambiguous
• persuasive
• hands-down
• cogent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unclear
• indecisive
• questionable
• doubtful
• inconclusive
• problematic
• debatable
• moot
• ambiguous
• disputable
• controversial
• disputed
• equivocal
• refutable
• doubtable
• debated

deciding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of decide

1

as in choosing

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

• choosing
• opting
• figuring
• determining
• resolving
• finding
• concluding
• picking
• settling (on or upon)
• ruling
• selecting
• naming
• electing
• decreeing
• preferring
• debating
• contemplating
• culling
• deliberating
• adjudicating
• considering
• pondering
• adjudging
• weighing
• judging
• studying
• ruling (on)
• thinking (about or over)
• handpicking
• arbitrating
• singling (out)
• questioning
• meditating
• cogitating
• ruminating
• refereeing
• entertaining
• umpiring
• mulling (over)
• chewing over

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• refusing
• rejecting
• declining
• abstaining
• delaying
• hesitating
• turning down
• stalling
• halting
• temporizing
• vacillating
• wavering
• waffling
• shilly-shallying

2

as in determining

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

• determining
• settling
• judging
• considering
• adjudicating
• adjudging
• arbitrating
• resolving
• weighing
• hearing
• prosecuting
• ruling (on)
• deliberating
• pondering
• trying
• concluding
• refereeing
• deeming
• umpiring
• negotiating
• mediating
• moderating
• finding (for or against)
• sizing up
• redetermining
• rejudging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hedging
• skirting
• equivocating
• pussyfooting

3

as in arranging

to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of

we waited for our captors to decide our fate

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arranging
• choosing
• planning
• figuring
• resolving
• designing
• setting
• finalizing
• fixing
• completing
• determining
• settling
• finishing
• agreeing (on)
• charting
• disposing of
• concluding
• shaping
• confirming
• calculating
• approving
• drafting
• dealing
• opting
• promising
• negotiating
• pledging
• contracting
• closing
• authorizing
• maneuvering
• framing
• scheming
• intriguing
• programming
• affirming
• ending
• sanctioning
• working out
• mapping (out)
• laying out
• bargaining
• schematizing
• concerting
• blueprinting
• warranting
• hammering out
• haggling
• squaring away
• winding up
• clearing
• rounding (off or out)
• dickering
• OK'ing
• wrapping up
• chaffering
• horse-trading

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• calling
• recalling
• dropping
• repealing
• revoking
• rescinding
• differing (over)
• opposing
• debating
• resisting
• protesting
• objecting
• aborting
• disagreeing (with)
• countering
• calling off
• contesting
• disputing

4

as in settling

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

• determining
• settling
• clinching
• defining
• clarifying
• proving
• establishing
• ensuring
• nailing
• showing
• specifying
• assuring
• insuring
• securing
• demonstrating
• affirming
• illuminating
• stating
• ending
• finishing
• concluding
• stipulating
• nailing (down)
• clearing (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confusing
• muddling
• unsettling
• muddying

5

as in deriving

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

• deriving
• understanding
• thinking
• concluding
• reasoning
• inferring
• judging
• guessing
• deducing
• assuming
• extrapolating
• speculating
• ascertaining
• reading
• gathering
• supposing
• contemplating
• making out
• drawing a conclusion
• interpreting
• construing
• rationalizing
• surmising
• conjecturing
• finding out
• philosophizing
• doping (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of deciding

Adjective

Instead, the person must show race was the crucial and deciding factor. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2025

The bullpen gave up the lead on the first pitch, and then three more in the deciding 10th inning. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2025

Travis weeks earlier cited as the deciding and unprecedented factor. — Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024

As a result of the split, Sheboygan city residents play no deciding role in either of the two districts, which both lean heavily Republican. — Journal Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2024

Several people said the job fell to Tillis to convince enough Republican colleagues to vote in favor of the bill so no one person had to be the final deciding vote. — Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2022

The jurors in the Rittenhouse trial were overwhelmingly White not only in the original pool of 179 prospects but also in the final deciding panel of 12, where there was only one person of color. — Omar Jimenez, CNN, 23 Nov. 2021

Houck would be an obvious candidate to start again if the Sox are able to push this series to a fifth and deciding game. — BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2021

Verb

The decorations actually carry years of family memories, which makes deciding what stays especially personal. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026

For the industry, replacing the cryptography may be easier than deciding how to implement the migration. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026

The board president works closely with CPS CEO Macquline King to shape district policy, largely by deciding what goes up for vote. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

And this is a poem about meeting your wife and deciding to try to conceive pretty soon because of the problems of fertility. — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026

Whether that comes from guests who choose to break that NDA or from Swift and Kelce deciding to share in their own terms (whether with photos or a possible documentary) remains to be seen. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 14 Aug. 2026

Macdonald did not get into specifics, but said the Seahawks leaned on people who could vouch for Arnold’s character before deciding to offer him a deal. — Andrew Destin, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026

Because travelers rarely share the same budget or the same spending priorities, Yoon recommends deciding early who will pay for what, how expenses will be divided, and when everyone will settle up. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026

But the difficult part for her still lies ahead — deciding what to actually pack. — John Ficarra, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026