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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

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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

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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

Some in tech might see the biggest takeaway as not that Huang had poor judgment but that he lacked corporate governance that gave him ultimate control.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2026

A company this central to the economy can’t hinge on one man’s judgment, personal or professional.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026

Ministers say the withdrawal of the funding was "not a judgment on the quality of the work"

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Although terms of the separation are confidential, there was a pending judgment of divorce that needed approval from the New York County Supreme Court as of Wednesday, according to People.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Two more days crawled by; then, on May 13, their judgment came.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Lawyers for Abramovich said: "The Judgment made no finding that the dilution was premeditated", or that it was "fraudulent".

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

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

Titles like “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” will just disappear from users’ libraries.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Among the last works are red-chalk preparations made about 1908 and 1915 for a painting of “The Judgment of Paris.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

I took the pipe, gathered the glass, sweated — blew —my cheeks puffed out — the iron pipe banged my teeth —I blew like the Angel Gabriel sounding the horn for Judgment Day.

From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz

Maria Antonia Tigre, director of Global Climate Change Litigation at Columbia University's Sabin Center, noted that climate judgments are "travelling across jurisdictions."

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

For this characteristic, judgments of humans and AI followed largely similar patterns, suggesting that people interpret awareness and consciousness in fundamentally different ways.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

The alleged conspiracy involves unnamed “‘runners’ who solicit and provide clients willing to advance and stand behind fabricated narratives” and “litigation funders that seek profit from eventual judgments or settlements by fronting litigation expenses.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Because the camera never leaves Cushla’s side, anything there is to learn we learn along with her, which pays some dramatic dividends and means we’ll be forced to revise earlier judgments, usually for the better.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Mariam sat watching the girl out of the corner of her eye as Rasheed’s demands and judgments rained down on them like the rockets on Kabul.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

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