judgment

judgment
judg‧ment W2 (also judgement British English) /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/ noun
1.  OPINION  [uncountable and countable] an opinion that you form, especially after thinking carefully about something:
    It’s too soon to make a judgment about what the outcome will be.
    In my judgment, we should accept his offer.
    pass judgment (on something) (=give your opinion, especially a negative one)
    Our aim is to help him, not to pass judgment on what he has done.
    I’d advise you to reserve judgment (=not decide your opinion before you have all the facts).
    against your better judgment (=even though you do not think it is a sensible thing to do)
    I lent him the money, against my better judgment.
2.  ABILITY TO DECIDE  [uncountable] the ability to make sensible decisions about what to do and when to do it:
    I’ve known him for years and I trust his judgment.
    professional/personal etc judgment
    The minister showed a lack of political judgment.
    a decision based on sound judgment (=good judgment)
    Watch carefully and use your judgment. ⇨ error of judgment at error(3)
3.  LAW  [uncountable and countable] an official decision given by a judge or a court of law:
    The company were fined £6 million, following a recent court judgment.
4. a judgment (on somebody/something) formal something bad that happens to someone and seems like a punishment for the things they have done wrong
5. judgment call American English informal a decision you have to make yourself because there are no fixed rules in a situation
⇨ last judgment, value judgment, ⇨ sit in judgment at sit(10)
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ make a judgment It's too soon to make a judgment about what the outcome will be.
   ▪ form a judgment (=make a judgment) I prefer to form my own judgments, rather than relying on other people's opinions.
   ▪ pass judgment (on something) (=give your opinion, especially a negative one) Our aim is to help him, not to pass judgment on what he has done.
   ▪ reserve judgment (=not decide your opinion before you have all the facts) Why don't you reserve judgment until you have finished the book?
   ▪ base a judgment on something (=make a judgment because of something ) His judgment was based on bad information.
■ adjectives
   ▪ a moral judgment (=based on what you think is right) People are always making moral judgments about weight loss.
   ▪ a snap judgment (=made quickly) In my business, I often have to make snap judgments about people.
■ phrases
   ▪ against your better judgment (=even though you think your action might be wrong) I lent him the money, against my better judgment.