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.

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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

I’m not judging myself in the same way that I used to.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Still, I will push back on your suggestion that he was overtly judging or looking down on other people who were less well off.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

Think of the ERP as merely a loose framework for judging the relative appeal of stocks versus safe bonds.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

And judging from those in attendance, parts of “The Fear of 13,” in which Adrien Brody plays a wrongfully convicted man on death row, are hilarious.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

But not considering such troops reliable, he turned to mercenary forces, judging them to be less dangerous, and he hired the Orsini and the Vitelli.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli