ombudsman

7 synonyms for ombudsman, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — An official appointed to investigate complaints made by ordinary people against a company, a government department or another organisation, and to recommend a fair settlement.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

mediator

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

adjudicator arbiter complaints commissioner watchdog internal mediator grievance officer

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

An official appointed to investigate complaints made by ordinary people against a company, a government department or another organisation, and to recommend a fair settlement.

“After the bank refused to refund the fraudulent charges, she took her case to the financial ombudsman.”

adjudicator arbiter mediator complaints commissioner watchdog

2. noun

A person inside an organisation whose job is to handle internal grievances confidentially, such as a university or newspaper ombudsman.

“Staff can raise concerns with the university ombudsman without telling their line manager.”

internal mediator grievance officer

How to use ombudsman

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

financial ombudsman ombudsman service refer the case to the ombudsman ombudsman ruled parliamentary ombudsman

Neutral and formal; standard in legal, financial and journalistic writing.

Etymology

From Swedish ombudsman, literally 'representative' or 'agent', from ombud 'commission, proxy'. The office originated in Scandinavian government and the word entered English in the twentieth century.

Full origin of ombudsman →

Frequently asked questions

Is an ombudsman a judge?

No. An ombudsman investigates complaints and issues findings, but sits outside the court system. In many schemes the decision is binding on the company if the complainant accepts it, while the complainant remains free to go to court instead.

Does it cost anything to use an ombudsman?

Public and industry ombudsman schemes are normally free to the person complaining, because they are funded by government or by levies on the firms they oversee. You usually have to complain to the organisation itself first and give it a set period, often eight weeks, to respond.

What is the plural, and is there a non-gendered form?

The plural is ombudsmen, though ombudsmans is occasionally seen. Many organisations now use ombuds, ombudsperson or simply the name of the scheme to avoid the gendered ending.

People also searched

mediator watchdog arbiter

Nearby words

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