judgmental

American  

[juhj-men-tl] / dʒʌdʒˈmɛn tl /

especially British, judgemental

adjective

1. involving the use or exercise of judgment.

2. tending to make quick and excessively critical judgments, especially moral ones.

   to avoid a judgmental approach in dealing with divorced couples.

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judgmental British  

/ dʒʌdʒˈmɛntəl /

adjective

1. of or denoting an attitude in which judgments about other people's conduct are made

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Other Word Forms

• judgmentally
  adverb
• unjudgmental
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of judgmental

First recorded in 1905–10; judgment + -al ¹

Explanation

Oddly enough, people with good judgment are not usually considered judgmental. Judgmental is a negative word to describe someone who often rushes to judgment without reason. The adjective judgmental describes someone who forms lots of opinions — usually harsh or critical ones — about lots of people. Judgmental types are not open-minded or easygoing. Judgmental has the word judge at its root, which itself is from the Latin word judicem, which also means "to judge." Judgemental (with an extra "e") is considered a legitimate variant spelling of judgmental.

Example Sentences

I ask this not because I’m being nosy or judgmental, but because it matters for what you do next with the funds.

From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026

“It was just full of very proper people, but very judgmental, and there were secrets on the street,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026

They often hid this habit from their children, who would be judgmental or alarmed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Democratic citizens need to develop the habit of listening imaginatively rather than in a competitive or judgmental way.

From Slate • Jan. 2, 2026

Her words could wake the dead with their harsh, judgmental tone.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• subjective