adjudicator

noun

Definition of adjudicatornext
1
as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy since they seemed to be in a hopeless stalemate, both labor and management agreed to use an independent adjudicator to decide the terms of the contract

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the appellate court refused to hear the case, thus allowing the judgment of previous adjudicators to stand

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 adjudicator Guinness World Records adjudicator Andy Glass verified the official ticket sales figures and confirmed the record to Variety. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 17 July 2026 In order to officially break the record, there were rules that had to be followed, said Chloe McCarthy, an official adjudicator for Guinness World Records. — Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 12 July 2026 Styles was presented with his certificate by Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford on stage. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026 Immigration adjudicators may discourage visa holders like Maya from seeking employment after layoffs, thereby limiting their opportunities to stay and work in America. — Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Confirming the fort’s record breaking size required a visit from an official Guinness World Records adjudicator. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 June 2026 The competition included 23 players who supplied preliminary video performances; adjudicators selected 12 finalists. — Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 6 May 2026 The judge prohibited redetention without notice and a hearing before a neutral adjudicator. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 The instructors at the Atomic Ballroom, based in Costa Mesa, led the dance record effort, giving a step-by-step instruction to those who showed up, the Guinness World Record adjudicator counting the crowd. — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjudicator
  1. referee
  2. judge
  3. umpire
  4. court
Noun
  • The grey area here is how long the referee waits before starting the countdown.
    — Graham Scott, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Shin guards Before the game begins, the referee will make sure every child is wearing a pair of shin guards for protection.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of referee
Noun
  • Hearings on Anthony's requests for a retrial and a new judge were set to begin Wednesday in suburban Dallas.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • During a court appearance, a Broward County judge ordered Smith held without bond on the charges and prohibited him from contacting any victims involved in the case.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of judge
Noun
  • First base umpire John Libka also ejected Blue Jays assistant hitting coach Lou Iannotti in the seventh inning.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Dubón expressed frustration that Torres didn’t check with the first-base umpire, and then manager Walt Weiss interjected in his defense.
    — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of umpire
Noun
  • Nonetheless, the new Canada tariffs are all but certain to be challenged in court.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Trump posted on Truth Social about the former federal appellate court clerk and Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of court

Browse Nearby Words

adjudications
adjudicator
adjudicators
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Adjudicator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjudicator. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All