judgment
B2Formal/Neutral
Definition
Meaning
The ability to make considered decisions or form sensible opinions; the conclusion reached after careful consideration.
1. An opinion or estimate formed after consideration. 2. A formal decision or ruling given by a court or judge. 3. The capacity to assess situations or people and draw sound conclusions. 4. A misfortune seen as a deserved punishment from a divine power.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Core meaning relates to the mental faculty of discernment. Legal meaning is a specialized extension. Often used in evaluative contexts about quality or wisdom.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In British English, 'judgement' is also a correct and common spelling, especially for non-legal contexts. 'Judgment' is preferred in legal writing. In American English, 'judgment' is the dominant spelling for all contexts; 'judgement' is considered a minor variant.
Connotations
In legal contexts, identical. In everyday use, slight nuance: 'judgement' (UK) can feel slightly less formal than 'judgment' (US/legal).
Frequency
In UK corpora, 'judgement' is slightly more frequent in general language. 'Judgment' dominates in US English and in international legal texts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[someone] + exercise/show + judgment[someone] + pass + judgment + on + [something/someone][something] + require + judgmentjudgment + on + [a case/issue]in + [someone's] + judgmentVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “against one's better judgment”
- “reserve judgment”
- “sit in judgment”
- “a judgment call”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to managerial decisions based on experience and data ('The CEO's judgment on the merger was crucial.').
Academic
Used in discussions of critical thinking, ethics, or legal theory ('The study examined moral judgment in adolescents.').
Everyday
Describes common decision-making or forming opinions ('I trust your judgment on which film to watch.').
Technical
Primarily in law for a court's formal decision ('The judgment was appealed to a higher court.').
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The panel will judge the competition entries.
- It is not for us to judge their lifestyle.
American English
- The court will judge the case on its merits.
- You shouldn't be so quick to judge people.
adverb
British English
- He looked at her judgmentally.
- She spoke rather judgementally.
American English
- The report was written judgmentally.
- He reacted judgmentally to the proposal.
adjective
British English
- The judgmental remarks were unhelpful.
- She has a very judgemental attitude.
American English
- His judgmental tone put everyone on edge.
- Avoid being judgmental in the meeting.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Her judgment was good, so we chose the right path.
- I will let you make the judgment.
- In my judgment, we should wait for more information before deciding.
- The manager used his professional judgment to solve the problem.
- The court's judgment set an important legal precedent for future cases.
- Exercising sound financial judgment is key to running a successful business.
- The critic's scathing judgment of the novel sparked considerable debate in literary circles.
- His thesis examines the role of heuristic processing in snap moral judgments.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: A JUDGE needs good JUDG-MENT to make a ruling. Both contain 'judg'.
Conceptual Metaphor
JUDGMENT IS WEIGHING (weighing the evidence, balancing the options); JUDGMENT IS SEEING (showing insight, clear-sighted).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of 'суждение' for legal 'judgment' – use 'решение суда' or 'приговор'. 'Здравый смысл' is 'common sense', not 'sound judgment' – which is 'здравый рассудок' or 'здравое суждение'. 'Осуждать' is 'to condemn', not 'to pass judgment' which is 'выносить суждение/решение'.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'judgement' in strictly American contexts. Using 'judgment' as a verb (correct verb is 'judge'). Confusing 'in my judgment' (formal opinion) with 'in my view' (more personal).
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the spelling 'judgement' MOST acceptable in modern English?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Both are correct, but usage varies. 'Judgment' is standard in American English and in legal contexts worldwide. 'Judgement' is common in British English for non-legal meanings.
A 'decision' is the act of choosing. 'Judgment' implies the decision is based on careful evaluation, wisdom, or formal authority (like a court). All judgments are decisions, but not all decisions involve deep judgment.
No. The noun is 'judgment' (or 'judgement'). The verb is 'to judge'. A common mistake is saying 'He judgmented the situation' instead of 'He judged the situation'.
It's an informal idiom meaning a decision that has to be made based on personal experience and instinct, rather than on a definite rule or set of facts. It emphasizes the subjective element in decision-making.
Collections
Part of a collection
Abstract Thinking
B2 · 49 words · Words for ideas, reasoning and intellectual concepts.
Critical Thinking
C1 · 49 words · Vocabulary for structured logical reasoning and analysis.