4 VERB If you judge something or someone, you form an opinion about them after you have examined the evidence or thought carefully about them. □ [V n] It will take a few more years to judge the impact of these ideas. □ [V n + on ] I am ready to judge any book on its merits. □ [V wh] It's for other people to judge how much I have improved. □ [V n adj] The U.N. withdrew its relief personnel because it judged the situation too dangerous. □ [V n to-inf] I judged it to be one of the worst programmes ever screened. □ [V that] The doctor judged that the man's health had, up to the time of the wound, been good.
5 VERB If you judge something, you guess its amount, size, or value or you guess what it is. □ [V n] It is important to judge the weight of your washing load correctly. □ [V n to-inf] I judged him to be about forty. □ [V wh] Though the shoreline could be dimly seen, it was impossible to judge how far away it was.
6 N‑COUNT [usu sing] If someone is a good judge of something, they understand it and can make sensible decisions about it. If someone is a bad judge of something, they cannot do this. □ [+ of ] I'm a pretty good judge of character.
7 PHRASE You use judging by , judging from , or to judge from to introduce the reasons why you believe or think something. □ [+ by ] Judging by the opinion polls, he seems to be succeeding. □ [+ from ] Judging from the way he laughed as he told it, it was meant to be humorous.
8 PHRASE If you say that something is true as far as you can judge or so far as you can judge , you are assuming that it is true, although you do not know all the facts about it. □ The book, so far as I can judge, is remarkably accurate.
judg|ment ◆◇◇ /dʒʌ dʒmənt/ (judgments ) in BRIT, also use judgement 1 N‑VAR A judgment is an opinion that you have or express after thinking carefully about something. □ In your judgment, what has changed over the past few years? □ [+ on ] I don't really want to make any judgments on the decisions they made.
2 N‑UNCOUNT [oft with poss] Judgment is the ability to make sensible guesses about a situation or sensible decisions about what to do. □ I respect his judgement and I'll follow any advice he gives me.
3 N‑VAR A judgment is a decision made by a judge or by a court of law. □ The industry was awaiting a judgment from the European Court.
4 PHRASE If something is against your better judgment , you believe that it would be more sensible or better not to do it. □ Against my better judgement I agreed.
5 PHRASE If you pass judgment on someone or something, you give your opinion about it, especially if you are making a criticism. □ It's not for me to pass judgement, it's a personal matter between the two of you.
6 PHRASE If you reserve judgment on something, you refuse to give an opinion about it until you know more about it. □ [+ on ] Doctors are reserving judgement on his ability to travel until later in the week.
7 PHRASE To sit in judgment means to decide whether or not someone is guilty of doing something wrong. □ He argues very strongly that none of us has the right to sit in judgement. SYNONYMS judgment NOUN
1
opinion: Most who expressed an opinion spoke favorably of Thomas.
view: I take the view that she should be stopped as soon as possible.
belief: It is our belief that improvements in health care will lead to a stronger economy.
conviction: It is our firm conviction that a step forward has been taken.
3
verdict: The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
finding: The government hopes the court will announce its findings before the end of the month.
ruling: Goodwin tried to have the court ruling overturned.
decision: A decision was taken to discipline Marshall.
judg|men|tal /dʒʌdʒme nt ə l/ in BRIT, also use judgemental ADJ If you say that someone is judgmental , you are critical of them because they form opinions of people and situations very quickly, when it would be better for them to wait until they know more about the person or situation. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I'm trying to be less judgmental.
ju dg|ment call (judgment calls ) in BRIT, also use judgement call N‑COUNT If you refer to a decision as a judgment call , you mean that there are no firm rules or principles that can help you make it, so you simply have to rely on your own judgement and instinct. □ Well, physicians make judgment calls every day.
ju|di|cial /dʒuːd I ʃ ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Judicial means relating to the legal system and to judgments made in a court of law. □ …an independent judicial inquiry. □ …judicial decisions. ● ju|di|cial|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Even if the amendment is passed it can be defeated judicially.
ju|di|ci|ary /dʒuːd I ʃəri, [AM ] -ʃieri/ N‑SING The judiciary is the branch of authority in a country which is concerned with law and the legal system. [FORMAL ] □ The judiciary must think very hard before jailing non-violent offenders.
ju|di|cious /dʒuːd I ʃəs/ ADJ If you describe an action or decision as judicious , you approve of it because you think that it shows good judgment and sense. [FORMAL , APPROVAL ] □ The President authorizes the judicious use of military force to protect our citizens. ● ju|di|cious|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Modern fertilisers should be used judiciously.