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• judgment
  judgment

  noun

  an act or instance of judging.
• Judgment
  Judgment

  noun

  the estimate by God of the ultimate worthiness or unworthiness of the individual (the Particular Judgment ) or of all mankind (the General Judgment or Last Judgment )

judgment

American  

[juhj-muhnt] / ˈdʒʌdʒ mənt /

especially British, judgement

noun

• judgments
  plural

1. an act or instance of judging.

   Synonyms:

   determination

2. the ability to judge, make a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, especially in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion.

   a man of sound judgment.

   Synonyms:

   prudence, intelligence, wisdom, sagacity, perspicacity, discernment, discrimination

3. the demonstration or exercise of such ability or capacity.

   The major was decorated for the judgment he showed under fire.

4. the forming of an opinion, estimate, notion, or conclusion, as from circumstances presented to the mind.

   Our judgment as to the cause of his failure must rest on the evidence.

5. the opinion formed.

   He regretted his hasty judgment.

6. Law.

   1. a judicial decision given by a judge or court.

   2. the obligation, especially a debt, arising from a judicial decision.

   3. the certificate embodying such a decision and issued against the obligor, especially a debtor.

7. a misfortune regarded as inflicted by divine sentence, as for sin.

8. Theology. Judgment. Last Judgment.

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judgment ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒʌdʒmənt /

noun

1. the faculty of being able to make critical distinctions and achieve a balanced viewpoint; discernment

2. 1. the decision or verdict pronounced by a court of law

   2. an obligation arising as a result of such a decision or verdict, such as a debt

   3. the document recording such a decision or verdict

   4. ( as modifier )

      a judgment debtor

3. the formal decision of one or more judges at a contest or competition

4. a particular decision or opinion formed in a case in dispute or doubt

5. an estimation

   a good judgment of distance

6. criticism or censure

7. logic

   1. the act of establishing a relation between two or more terms, esp as an affirmation or denial

   2. the expression of such a relation

8. contrary to a more appropriate or preferred course of action

9. 1. to preside as judge

   2. to assume the position of critic

10. in someone's opinion

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Judgment ² British  

/ ˈdʒʌdʒmənt /

noun

1. the estimate by God of the ultimate worthiness or unworthiness of the individual (the Particular Judgment ) or of all mankind (the General Judgment or Last Judgment )

2. God's subsequent decision determining the final destinies of all individuals

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judgment Idioms  

1. see against one's better judgment; snap judgment.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interjudgment
  noun
• rejudgment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• judgments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of judgment

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English jug(g)ement, from Old French jugement, from juge- (stem of jugier “to judge”; see judge) + -ment -ment

Explanation

Judgment is the mental ability to understand something, form an opinion and reach a decision. You have great judgment of character, which is why your friends ask you to meet their significant others when things get serious. A decision is a judgment, unless you let a coin toss decide for you. Use your judgment to determine how much salt to add, or the safest way home. In court, the judge's official decision is called the judgment, and if you condemn someone, even if you're not a judge, we say you've "passed judgment." If you need to explain many parts of the story before your innocence will be clear, ask your listener not to rush to judgment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

judgment Judgment judgments

The High Court hearing has now concluded that judges will not issue their decision immediately, with the final judgment expected in the coming weeks.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Supply-chain management involves human judgment when unplanned snags arise, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Something I’ve heard over and over again from recruiters is that AI is useful, but only if a person demonstrates they have good judgment.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

The elderly people across the street are trapped inside with no supplies; the one woman who had the bad judgment to go jogging, pre-enclosure, comes back ragged.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“You want to bet?” he muttered, in spite of his better judgment.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

It marks the first time the theater has been used for a first-run film release since “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” in 1991.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The suit also alleges that the deal violates the Judgment Fund Act because the promised payment wasn’t intended to settle a lawsuit or court judgment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

In January, Ho Chi Minh City's Civil Judgment Enforcement Agency said that it was seeking experts to appraise the value of two crocodile skin Hermès Birkin bags seized from Truong My Lan.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

For Ceesay, the relationship between humans and robots was solidified in his mind by 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2025

If Cersei kept her wits about her, she would insist the king sit in Judgment of Tyrion himself.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

The Supreme Court has refused to lend its judgments to collusive litigation since Lord v.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

Kevin Warsh, the Fed’s chairman since May, has said little about his read of the labor market, in keeping with his philosophy that investors should form their own judgments about economic fundamentals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The video’s storyline, in which the 33-year-old pop singer gets “Carrie”-style revenge for men’s misogynist judgments, was completely overshadowed by fan alarm at Grande’s apparent emaciation.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

When ratings are publicly disclosed, market discipline helps drive reliability because assumptions, methodologies and judgments are scrutinized by investors, analysts and journalists.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Snap judgments can be made in a snap because they are frugal, and if we want to protect our snap judgments, we have to take steps to protect that frugality.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• analysis
• appraisal
• assessment
• award
• belief
• conclusion
• conviction
• decree
• determination
• evaluation
• finding
• idea
• inquiry
• observation
• opinion
• order
• resolution
• result
• review
• ruling