judging

American  

[juhj-ing] / ˈdʒʌdʒ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. rendering an authoritative decision, as in a legal case, contest, dispute, or the like.

   He received the highest praise on his cooking contest entry from the judging chefs in their feedback.

2. hearing evidence or arguments in a case in order to render a decision.

   The appeal and second appeal will last approximately one year each, depending on the judging court and the evidence.

3. evaluating, assessing, or forming a critical opinion of someone or something.

   We think all rightly judging readers will reject such an unlikely interpretation.

4. making or expressing a negative assessment of someone or something; condemning.

   I’d refrain from using judging words like "slob" and "ungracious," as those will lead to defensiveness and hurt feelings.

5. making a careful guess or estimate.

   It’s hard to reckon one’s distance from something when the judging eye is under water and the target is in the air.

---

noun

1. the act of rendering an authoritative decision, forming an estimate or critical opinion, or making or expressing a negative assessment of someone or something.

   The highlight of the evening was the judging of the Best in Red competition.

   I’m tired of the constant judging and critiquing by others.

Other Word Forms

• judgingly
  adverb
• unjudging
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of judging

First recorded in 1325–75; judg(e) ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; judg(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

Judging from the near-universal backlash to Timothée Chalamet’s recent bad-mouthing of ballet, Eden’s summation of the central tenet of their show may be true.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Judging by TV ratings, Americans love the new state of play.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

Judging from big discounts on BDCs, markets are signaling that portfolio values as of year-end 2025 are too high by 10% or more.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Judging by the action in futures markets, gasoline prices look like they have higher to go.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026

Judging by the two figures in black standing directly in front of our door, it didn’t seem like we’d be able to leave, either.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken