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

Instead of judging athletes against a fixed checklist of technical form, coaches could focus on how each individual naturally moves.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

Yet judging from the speech, he’s doing neither.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026

Or at least that was the option a large number of fans appeared to have opted for, judging by the empty seats.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

I think a moment of transition for me was when I put together that the people in the audience I thought were judging me were the people most like me.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Wilcox's power is that you think it's not him speaking but Public Opinion judging you through him.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell