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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.


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.

See Examples For:

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

His snap judgment endangers a planet's civilian population, leaving her to fix the crisis he has created.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2024

The film also accurately shows Oppenheimer instantly responding, “That’s impossible,” promptly withdrawing his snap judgment and, within a week, outlining how the discovery might be used to make a bomb.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 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

Is there a more beautiful example of a snap judgment?

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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