judicious
Americanadjective
-
using or showing judgment as to action or practical expediency; discreet, prudent, or politic.
judicious use of one's money.
- Antonyms:
- imprudent
-
having, exercising, or characterized by good or discriminating judgment; wise, sensible, or well-advised.
a judicious selection of documents.
- Synonyms:
- considered, sagacious, sound, sound, sober, reasonable, rational, rational
- Antonyms:
- unreasonable, silly
adjective
Related Words
See practical. See moderate. Judicious, judicial both refer to a balanced and wise judgment. Judicious implies the possession and use of discerning and discriminating judgment: a judicious use of one's time. Judicial has connotations of judgments made in a courtroom and refers to a fair and impartial kind of judgment: cool and judicial in examining the facts.
Other Word Forms
- judiciously adverb
- judiciousness noun
- overjudicious adjective
- overjudiciousness noun
Etymology
Origin of judicious
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin jūdici(um) “judgment” ( judge, -ium ) + -ous; compare Italian giudizioso, French judicieux
Explanation
If you're judicious, you've got a good head on your shoulders and make good decisions. Humpty Dumpty's decision to sit on a wall? NOT judicious. As its sound implies, judicious comes from the same Latin word from which we get judge and judiciary, and not surprisingly a judicious decision is one that only comes after all sides have been weighed up and opposing points of view taken into consideration. Judicious decisions are never split-second decisions.
Vocabulary lists containing judicious
You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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The Pearl
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It flew in the face of the mantra of the “quiet professional” that suffused military culture, a kind of sober maturity that was critical to judicious use of deadly force.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
And the need for judicious editing isn’t limited to the exhibitors—the curators also should consider tightening the guidelines for inclusion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
He told the president he could go even farther than Ronald Reagan, which, in this context, is an interesting statement, since Reagan rattled some sabers initially but actually made the judicious decision to withdraw.
From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026
That suggested that judicious use of AI could free up time for one of the two radiologists.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
That probably would have been the most judicious course of action, but leaving well enough alone was not Rowan’s strong point.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
