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

Advance preparations should also include deciding who has the authority to change a controversial decision or plan. — Edward Segal, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has been working out in hopes of deciding whether to play for the Rams, two years after the future first-ballot Hall of Famer retired. — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Rather than limiting their search to a single county, luxury buyers often compare waterfront estates and condominiums from Miami to Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast before deciding where to buy. — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

The tense scene would have dominated the night if not for Wilyer Abreu’s and Contreras’ back-to-back solo home runs off Luis Medina, which re-tied and took a deciding lead for Boston in the top of the eighth. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 31 July 2026

Dine Around the Globe Of course, the real pleasure of cruising is deciding what to eat. — Belinda Luksic, Southern Living, 31 July 2026

The very title is real-world shorthand for technology's role in deciding who lives and who dies — and how the military should respond to any truly autonomous attacks. — ABC News, 26 July 2026

Hepburn told the South Florida Sun Sentinel the current use of the school will be considered when deciding which schools to close. — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 26 July 2026

The Jayhawks, who were blown out by KSU’s Purple Reign by 19 points in Game 1 on Tuesday in Manhattan, only to win Wednesday in Topeka, trailed 12-0 five minutes into the deciding contest. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 July 2026