adjudicate
uh-JOO-dih-kayt
/əˈdʒuːdɪkeɪt/
To act as a judge in a dispute; to make a formal judgment or decision regarding a legal matter.
Implies a formal, impartial legal proceeding where conflicting claims are settled authoritatively.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'judex' (judge), which combined 'jus' (law) and 'dicere' (to speak). Literally, to adjudicate is to 'speak the law to a dispute'.
Word relationships
- arbitrate: Arbitrate often involves an appointed private mediator out of court; adjudicate usually occurs within a formal court or official judicial tribunal.
- judge: Judge is a general term; adjudicate emphasizes the formal legal process of rendering a judgment.
- defer: Defer means postphoning or handing over decision-making authority to someone else without rendering a judgment.
Commonly confused with
- advocate: An advocate speaks on behalf of one side; an adjudicator neutrally judges and decides between sides.
Word family
- adjudication (noun): The legal process of resolving a dispute or judicial decision.
- adjudicator (noun): A person who presides over an adjudication.
Collocations
- adjudicate a dispute
- adjudicate claims
- empowered to adjudicate
- adjudicate guilt
Example sentences
- "A special tribunal was established to adjudicate claims filed by victims of corporate fraud." Judicial procedure
- "The administrative judge will adjudicate the disputes between labor unions and executive management." Arbitration
Memory hook
A JUDGE acts to ADJUDICATE a case. Judge and settle the law.
When not to use
Do not use for informal personal opinions or casual social arguments between friends.
Fun facts
- In international law, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) adjudicates disputes specifically between sovereign states.
Related words
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