judgement

judgement — noun

1. The ability to think carefully about situations and make wise decisions, based o

1.nounB2
Definition

The ability to think carefully about situations and make wise decisions, based on experience and good sense.

Example

Élise showed excellent judgement when she chose to study engineering instead of art.

excellent / sound / poor + judgement (adjective collocations)

The board questioned the manager's business judgement after the company lost two major clients.

trust / question / rely on + somebody's judgement

Common collocations
  • sound judgement
  • poor judgement
  • exercise judgement
  • lack of judgement
  • business judgement
Synonyms
  • discretion

    more formal; often used in legal or professional contexts about acting wisely

  • discernment

    focuses on the ability to perceive subtle differences and quality

  • sense

    more informal; 'common sense' implies practical, everyday wisdom

Antonyms

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable and describes a personal quality or faculty. Adjectives like 'sound', 'good', 'poor', 'excellent' are commonly used with it. Do not use the indefinite article 'a' with this sense.

Common Mistakes

He showed a good judgement in his decision.
He showed good judgement in his decision.
'judgement' meaning the ability is uncountable; do not add 'a'.

2. A view or conclusion you arrive at after weighing the facts, plus the process of

2.nounB1
Definition

A view or conclusion you arrive at after weighing the facts, plus the process of communicating that view to other people.

Example

Imani formed her own judgement about the new policy after reading the full report.

form a judgement about something

The newspaper published a harsh judgement on the government's handling of the crisis.

judgement on something

Common collocations
  • form a judgement
  • make a judgement
  • reserve judgement
  • pass judgement on
  • reach a judgement
Synonyms
  • opinion

    more general; does not imply as much careful thought as judgement

  • assessment

    more systematic; often used in professional or academic contexts

  • evaluation

    focuses on measuring value or quality against a standard

Grammar Patterns

judgement about something

judgement on something

make a judgement about something

Usage Note

Commonly used with the verbs 'form', 'make', 'reserve', 'pass', and 'reach'. Unlike sense 1 (the ability), this sense can be countable: 'I have a judgement to make.' The preposition 'about' and 'on' both appear, with 'on' often implying a more critical or formal evaluation.

Common Mistakes

She passed a judgement about his character without meeting him.
She passed judgement on his character without meeting him.
The idiomatic phrase is 'pass judgement on' (no article before 'judgement').

3. Used as part of a fixed phrase to express that a statement is based on someone's

3.nounB1
Definition

Used as part of a fixed phrase to express that a statement is based on someone's personal opinion or way of thinking.

Example

In Ramón's judgement, the team should focus on quality rather than speed.

in + possessive + judgement (fixed phrase)

In my judgement, the proposal is too risky to implement at this stage.

Common collocations
  • in my judgement
  • in her judgement
  • in the court's judgement
Synonyms
  • in my opinion

    more common and neutral; judgement sounds slightly more thoughtful or authoritative

  • in my view

    similar function; judgement implies the opinion was carefully considered

Grammar Patterns

in somebody's judgement

Usage Note

This sense almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'in [possessive] judgement' (e.g. 'in my judgement', 'in his judgement', 'in the expert's judgement'). It functions as a sentence adverb, similar to 'in my opinion'. The phrase can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

Common Mistakes

To my judgement, this is a mistake.
In my judgement, this is a mistake.
The correct preposition is 'in' not 'to'.

4. An official decision made by a judge or a court of law at the end of a legal cas

4.nounB2
Definition

An official decision made by a judge or a court of law at the end of a legal case.

Example

The judge is expected to deliver her judgement on the fraud case next Monday.

deliver / give / issue a judgement (court context)

The Supreme Court's judgement set a new legal standard for privacy rights.

Common collocations
  • deliver a judgement
  • court judgement
  • final judgement
  • judgement against
  • appeal against a judgement
Synonyms
  • ruling

    a broader term that can cover any official decision by a court or authority

  • verdict

    specifically the jury's decision on guilt or innocence, not the judge's final order

  • sentence

    specifies the punishment, not the decision about liability or guilt

Usage Note

In legal English, the American spelling 'judgment' is standard even in British-influenced courts. This sense takes verbs like 'deliver', 'give', 'issue', 'hand down', 'enter', and 'appeal against'. A judgement is the court's final ruling; a 'verdict' is the jury's finding of guilt or innocence.

Common Mistakes

The jury delivered a judgement of guilty.
The jury delivered a verdict of guilty.
A jury gives a 'verdict'; a judge gives a 'judgement'.

5. A misfortune or disaster viewed as divine retribution for immoral behaviour, wro

5.nounC1
Definition

A misfortune or disaster viewed as divine retribution for immoral behaviour, wrongdoing, or sin.

Example

The ancient text describes the flood as a judgement on the people for their sins.

judgement + on + somebody (divine punishment pattern)

Some villagers viewed the crop failure as a judgement from heaven against the community.

Common collocations
  • divine judgement
  • judgement from heaven
  • judgement on somebody
  • Day of Judgement
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

judgement (on somebody)

Usage Note

Typically used in religious or literary contexts. Often appears in the phrase 'a judgement on [somebody]' meaning punishment for their actions. 'The Day of Judgement' refers to the end of the world in some religions when God judges all people.

Common Mistakes

The storm was a judgement for the city.' (ambiguous)
The storm was a judgement on the city for its corruption.
Use 'on' to specify who is being punished in this religious sense.
Idioms

against your better judgement

idiom

Doing something even though you think it is probably not a wise thing to do.

Tara lent her brother the money against her better judgement, knowing he rarely repaid loans.

Cole agreed to take on the extra work against his better judgement, and he regretted it later.

pass judgement (on somebody / something)

idiom

To express a strong opinion about whether someone or something is good or bad, especially in a critical way.

Kian felt it was not his place to pass judgement on the way his friends chose to live their lives.

The critics were quick to pass judgement on the film before most people had even seen it.

reserve judgement

idiom

To delay forming or expressing an opinion about something until you have more information.

The manager decided to reserve judgement on the new system until the staff had used it for a month.

I will reserve judgement on the proposal until I see the full financial analysis next week.

sit in judgement

idiom

To decide whether someone's behaviour is right or wrong, especially when you have no right or authority to do so.

Mira pointed out that nobody is perfect, so we should not sit in judgement of others.

The media often sits in judgement on public figures without knowing the full story.

reserve (your) decision/judgement

idiom

To wait before making a final decision or forming an opinion.

The committee will reserve its judgement until all evidence is reviewed.

Why don't you reserve your decision until you hear both sides?

sit in judgement (on/over/upon somebody)

idiom

To criticize someone's behavior as if you have the authority to judge them, often unfairly.

Who are you to sit in judgement on my choices?

Maya felt uncomfortable when her colleagues sat in judgement over her lifestyle.

Word family

  • judge
    verbA2
  • judge
    nounB1
  • judicious
    adjectiveC1
  • judgmental
    adjectiveB2
  • prejudge
    verbC1
  • misjudge
    verbB2
  • judgmentally
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all relate to the ability to make sound decisions, but differ in emphasis. 'Judgement' (the ability sense) implies a balanced combination of experience, practical wisdom, and careful thinking. 'Discretion' is more formal and often appears in legal or professional contexts — it suggests the freedom or authority to decide what should be done in a particular situation, along with the good sense to do it without causing offence. 'Discernment' focuses on the ability to perceive subtle differences and recognise quality — an art collector needs discernment, but a manager needs judgement. 'Sense' (as in 'common sense') is less formal and refers to practical, everyday wisdom that most people are expected to have. 'Wisdom' is broader and deeper — it includes not only good decision-making but also a long-term understanding of life and human nature. Where a young analyst might show good judgement on a single project, a wise CEO shows wisdom across decades of leadership.

discretion ↗discernmentsense ↗wisdom ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • matter of judgement
  • error of judgement
  • lack of judgement
  • day of judgement

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'judgement' entered English in the 13th century through Old French 'jugement' (meaning 'legal decision' or 'trial'), which came from Latin 'judicium' ('judgment, trial, decision'). The Latin root 'judicium' comes from 'judex' ('a judge'), which is a combination of 'jus' ('law, right') and 'dicere' ('to say'). So the original idea is 'one who speaks the law'. The ability-to-decide sense developed from the legal meaning — someone who consistently makes sound court decisions was said to have good judgement, and the term gradually broadened to anyone who shows this quality.