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

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

Though she has dating apps on her phone, she’s rarely on them because she feels “really weird about making a snap judgment on someone.”

From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2021

The snap judgment in most cases would be to take the Chiefs on a question like this with Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreke Hill and other weapons.

From Fox News • Feb. 2, 2021

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

Is there a more beautiful example of a snap judgment?

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell