JUDGE Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'judge' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of judge are conclude , deduce , gather , and infer . While all these words mean "to arrive at a mental conclusion," judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based. // judge people by their actions

Q: When could 'conclude' be used to replace 'judge'?

The words conclude and judge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning. // concluded that only the accused could be guilty

Q: How do 'deduce' and 'infer' relate to one another, in the sense of 'judge'?

Deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization. // denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

Q: When is it sensible to use 'gather' instead of 'judge'?

In some situations, the words gather and judge are roughly equivalent. However, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications. // gathered their desire to be alone without a word

Q: When can 'infer' be used instead of 'judge'?

While the synonyms infer and judge are close in meaning, infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise . // from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

judge 1 of 2

noun

ˈjəj

Definition of judge

as in referee

a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy their father always played the role of judge when there was a disagreement between the siblings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in court

a public official having authority to decide questions of law the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

judge

2 of 2

verb

as in to decide

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to estimate

to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement considering the amount of dough we have, I judge we'll get about six dozen cookies out of it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to understand

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information I judge that the girl has had a troubled relationship with her mother

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to think

to have as an opinion I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word judge distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of judge are conclude, deduce, gather, and infer. While all these words mean "to arrive at a mental conclusion," judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

When could conclude be used to replace judge?

The words conclude and judge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

How do deduce and infer relate to one another, in the sense of judge?

Deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

When is it sensible to use gather instead of judge?

In some situations, the words gather and judge are roughly equivalent. However, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

When can infer be used instead of judge?

While the synonyms infer and judge are close in meaning, infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

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 judge

Noun

If history is any judge, most White House chiefs of staff facing such turmoil would be eyeing the exit before the boss shoved them out. — Chris Whipple, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 Despite prosecutors citing Bjornholt's criminal history in arguing for a larger bond, the judge said the state's preliminary evidence relied heavily on hearsay and set Bjornholt's bond at $100,000, according to FOX 10. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

In our view, it was rushed and flawed, without an adequate evaluation framework to judge proposals fairly or fully measure their value to tourism. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026 Apparently not Trump, judging by his appointment of someone whose debut was anything but professional. — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for judge

Recent Examples of Synonyms for judge

Noun

Former Hollywood High principal Jim Tunney was a long-time NFL referee.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Following a 33-32 victory over the New York Giants in Week 7 of the 2025 season while playing for the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw chased and verbally threatened referee Brad Allen as the officiating crew was leaving the field.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of referee

Noun

Li fled to China, with Xuan and Zhang’s help, according to court filings.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
To assure further compliance, Section 5 of the act required those states to get approval from the Justice Department or a court before making any changes to their electoral systems.

— Jeffrey Toobin, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of court

Verb

Bruni said the pope's doctors would decide if there were any changes expected to his discharge date.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Where the thresholds sit, which harms count, who audits what – that’s for legislators, lawyers, technologists and ethicists to decide.

— Giorgos Tsetis, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of decide

Verb

Within an hour, the incident was estimated at about 35 acres, including various spot fires that erupted as winds pushed the flames forward.

— Tom Tapp, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
And Gartner estimates that 80% of neocloud providers will cease independent operations by 2030 because their revenues won’t cover their outgoings.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of estimate

Verb

But the really impactful part is understanding the function and developing it into a tool.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
The committee isn’t fully aware of the muddy bog in which Taverner is currently sinking, but Lamb is starting to understand the shape of it.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of understand

Noun

The Rays challenged the calls at both first and second and Mesa was ruled safe when a video review overturned the out decision by first base umpire Mark Ripperger.

— Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
Among 25 umpires who worked the first two rounds, four had perfect rates and were confirmed on all challenges.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of umpire

Noun

The federal case hit roadblocks after a magistrate judge twice rejected a search warrant, CBS News previously reported.

— Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Italian magistrates accused Egyptian authorities of withholding key information requested through international legal channels, an allegation Cairo rejected.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of magistrate

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judged

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Style

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judge. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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verb

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