snap judgment

Idioms  

1. A hurried or impetuous decision or finding, as in George was known for making snap judgments on personnel questions; he rarely bothered to investigate further. This expression, which uses snap in the sense of “quick,” was first recorded in 1841.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snap judgment

Thomas allowed agents to make this snap judgment themselves, at the border, without “clear and convincing evidence” that the LPR really did commit the offense.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026

There’s magic in that snap judgment of understanding how a technology could make your day better.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2023

Defense attorney Craig Harbaugh asserted the FBI was desperate to find the person responsible and made a snap judgment, focusing on Beal and ignoring other evidence and suspects.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 17, 2022

Of course, few people watching this all unfold were in the position of overseeing newsrooms on Sept. 11, making snap judgment calls on imagery that would forever alter the nature of broadcast journalism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2019

But he is also a great salesman because he understands when to put the brakes on that process: when to consciously resist a particular kind of snap judgment.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell