List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 103

SYNONYMS: decide, determine, settle, rule, conclude, resolve.
These verbs are compared as they mean to make or cause to make a decision.

Decide is the least specific: If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each. Her parents' pleas decided her against dropping out of college.
Determine often involves somewhat narrower issues: A jury will determine whether the charges are true or false.
Settle stresses finality of decision: She smiled to show that the matter was finally settled in her mind.
Rule implies that the decision is handed down by someone in authority: The faculty committee ruled that changes should be implemented.
Conclude suggests that a decision, opinion, or judgment has been arrived at after careful consideration: She concluded that it would be better to ignore the criticism.
Resolve stresses the exercise of choice in making a firm decision: I resolved to lose weight. We resolved that nothing they said could induce us to trust them.