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

It was quickly challenged again in court, with a judge temporarily preventing it from moving ahead while considering a long-term block. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 New Mexico's attorney general is asking a judge to force two county sheriffs to terminate their agreements with ICE. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

It was conducted on a dedicated testbed, and human engineers still established the safety boundaries and judged the results. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 Banks, judging by their own lending behavior, are not ruling that out. — Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for judge

Recent Examples of Synonyms for judge

Noun

Among the top-performing VARs last season were EFL referee Paul Howard and EPL assistant Neil Davies.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after the referee said there was windup, impact and follow-through on the foul, resulting in Carrington’s ejection.

— Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of referee

Noun

The draw looks pretty good for Paul to get to a possible fourth-round matchup with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is returning to the singles court for the first time since suffering a wrist injury in April.

— Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
For many of her fans, the practice court offered a chance to see her up close for free.

— Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of court

Verb

Luiz understands that aspect, too, acknowledging that Sporting KC needed him four separate times during Thursday’s news conference.

— Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
Instead of starting with a new component, its engineers worked to understand the hardware already available to NAVAIR.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of understand

Verb

And think about Afghanistan as well, a huge military advantage there, but as US forces were finally being pulled out of there, the Taliban were once again taking control.

— Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Two workers at Germany's Frankfurt airport who caught malaria from a mosquito thought to have arrived on a plane have died, the city's health authority said this week.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of think

Noun

The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24 hours.

— CBS News, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a fact-finding committee and asked it to submit a report within 24 hours.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of magistrate

Browse Nearby Words

judders

judge

judged

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judge. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of judge

noun

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

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

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes