Synonyms of ruling

ruling 1 of 3

noun

ˈrü-liŋ 

1

as in sentence

a decision made by a court or tribunal regarding a case it has heard

the controversial ruling by the state's supreme court caused an uproar

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sentence
• verdict
• finding
• decision
• judgment
• opinion
• holding
• injunction
• decree
• doom
• declaration
• pronouncement
• punishment
• conclusion
• edict
• determination
• authority
• inquest
• resolution
• award
• order
• dictum
• penalty
• arbitrament
• discipline
• deliverance

2

as in decree

an order publicly issued by an authority

the FCC's ruling regarding the broadcasting of obscenities

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decree
• edict
• decision
• directive
• proclamation
• resolution
• verdict
• announcement
• declaration
• opinion
• fiat
• diktat
• bull
• ukase
• rescript
• judgment
• diagnosis
• determination
• pronouncement
• conclusion
• dictum
• manifesto
• deliverance
• call
• canon
• encyclical

ruling

2 of 3

adjective

as in prevailing

held by or applicable to a majority of the people

the ruling opinion on premarital sex

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prevailing
• general
• public
• overall
• popular
• unanimous
• majority
• predominant
• common
• received
• present
• dominant
• vulgar
• current
• usual
• universal
• typical
• characteristic
• widespread
• contemporary
• prevalent
• pop
• familiar
• preponderant
• communal
• pervasive
• everyday
• rife
• household
• well-known
• shared
• pandemic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unusual
• special
• uncommon
• strange
• unknown
• rare
• unpopular
• individual
• separate
• unique
• peculiar
• distinctive
• personal
• private
• idiosyncratic
• especial
• singular
• nonpublic

ruling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of rule

1

as in governing

to exercise authority or power over

a sea captain who ruled his ship sternly but justly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• governing
• controlling
• dominating
• dictating
• commanding
• domineering
• presiding (over)
• managing
• swaying
• leading
• overseeing
• administering
• bossing
• captaining
• regulating
• heading
• supervising
• conducting
• oppressing
• directing
• conquering
• superintending
• mastering
• reigning (over)
• micromanaging
• subjugating
• tyrannizing
• subduing
• lording (it over)

2

as in controlling

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)

a monarch who is known for ruling her emotions with an iron hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• controlling
• regulating
• containing
• keeping
• curbing
• restraining
• governing
• measuring
• stifling
• suppressing
• holding
• checking
• constraining
• inhibiting
• taming
• stopping
• pulling in
• bridling
• reining (in)
• swallowing
• interrupting
• blocking
• arresting
• holding back
• repressing
• choking (back)
• silencing
• smothering
• impeding
• strangling
• hindering
• hampering
• obstructing
• bottling (up)
• sinking
• squelching
• muffling
• mincing
• pocketing
• handcuffing
• gagging
• muzzling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losing
• liberating
• loosening
• expressing
• venting
• airing
• taking out
• unleashing
• loosing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ruling

Noun

That ruling established limits on government officials’ authority to restrict criticism during public meetings. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

The Supreme Court application remained pending Friday, with the docket listing the family’s reply but no ruling. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Adjective

This vibe continues to be brought to you courtesy of your co-ruling planet, rebellious Uranus, moving into your fifth house of self-expression on April 25, empowering you to lean fully into your penchant for unconventionality and incorporating the element of surprise in your personal style. — Maressa Brown, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026

Mali’s ruling junta responded to an al-Qaida affiliate’s fuel blockade by shuttering all schools until mid-November, the latest sign of instability in the West African country. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2025

Verb

The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned his convictions earlier this year, ruling that a court clerk influenced jurors during his trial. — Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Mexico was struggling with debt crises, declining energy revenues, and the related breakdown of the ruling party’s half-century-old corporatist model, which had fostered a centralized, closed economy. — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026