JUDGES Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

judges 1 of 2

noun

Definition of judges

plural of judge

as in referees

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 courts

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

judges

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of judge

as in decides

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 estimates

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 derives

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 thinks

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

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 judges

Noun

Usually, that would mean that Naheim, Joseph, and Bryan would all be going home — but the judges decide, in another twist, to bring a fourth designer to the finale. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026 There is no way of knowing whether other district court judges will rule, as Valenzuela did, on the question of funding connected to Title IX. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026 In June 2024, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Charles McKenzie ruled that conflicting competency opinions issued by two judges required a separate hearing under state law to determine whether Scott was fit to stand trial. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026 Family vacations have become limited to weekend getaways, because judges can schedule hearings at any time. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Lawyers say that judges who are more receptive to habeas relief often issue decisions relatively quickly. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 They will be joined by judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Verb

MasterChef Australia judges Yeow and Sofia Levin later spoke to 10 News about welcoming Meghan to the set, describing an enthusiastic atmosphere among the contestants. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 Which means Beijing is regulating what your fifteen-year-old does after dinner, behind a closed door, with an entity that never tires of them, never judges them, and never has a bad day of its own. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 But on the third day of qualifying for Wimbledon 2026, a power outage downed the electronic line-calling system that judges whether shots are in or out, causing matches across 18 courts to be suspended for over an hour. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 25 June 2026 This time, judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie convinced him to give the show another shot, igniting his journey all the way to the finale. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 The truck just leans into the work and gets on with life like a ranch foreman who drinks coffee black and silently judges your hitch setup. — New Atlas, 27 May 2026 Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 May 2026 In episode three, Mary judges Eleanor pretty harshly for her choices with Robert. — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026 The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges

Noun

That said, England’s best VARs are still predominantly EPL referees, too.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The state compared Atrium to a soccer team whining about the referees.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of referees

Noun

In lower courts, the administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
In hip-hop and other genres, producers were using snippets of other people’s records; courts often ruled that this was a form of theft, although hip-hop fans tended to see it as righteous theft.

— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of courts

Verb

In those situations, advice derives much of its value from trust, accountability and experience.

— Alex Shahidi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
As a result, the film derives overwhelming tension from the creature’s unknown qualities and the terror of an unseen force wreaking havoc on an unassuming community.

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of derives

Verb

His daughter Jordan, 43, says Mary hated being inside and a part of her thinks that, just maybe, Mary went for a walk to higher ground before the floods struck.

— Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal, president of Fischer Travel and a member of Four Seasons’ advisory board, thinks Airelles could be one of the biggest winners this season.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of thinks

Noun

Alongside Gyllenhaal and Ben Hania, the jurists include English composer Daniel Blumberg, Italian professor Francesco Casetti, French writer-director Xavier Giannoli, Afghan writer-director Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Hong Kong director Johnnie To.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2026
And rather than have the designers come to the jury (of which this editor was a member), the jurists spent several hours with each designer in their own space.

— Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of jurists

Browse Nearby Words

judged

judges

judging

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of judges

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes