judgmental
/dʒʌdʒˈmen.təl/ (bre, ipa) · /dʒʌdʒˈmen.t̬əl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌjəj-ˈmen-tᵊl/ (ame, mw)
judgmental — adjective
- judgmentalpositive
- more judgmentalcomparative
- most judgmentalsuperlative
1. always ready to find fault with other people's choices, appearance, or way of li
always ready to find fault with other people's choices, appearance, or way of living, especially without knowing the full story behind them
Emeka's aunt made a judgmental comment about his new haircut, which hurt his feelings.
judgmental comment / remark / attitude
The blog post came across as highly judgmental toward single parents.
judgmental toward [someone]
Elena tried hard not to sound judgmental when her brother told her about his career change.
Mr. Lin's judgmental tone during biology class made several students too nervous to raise their hands.
Chitra's friends stopped sharing their problems with her because they found her too judgmental.
- critical
broader and less intense; can be neutral or constructive, whereas judgmental is always negative
- condemning
stronger and more formal; suggests total rejection rather than mere criticism
- disapproving
focuses on having a negative opinion rather than expressing it harshly
- accepting
willing to tolerate differences without criticism
- open-minded
willing to consider other viewpoints without forming quick negative opinions
文法句型
be judgmental (about/of/toward someone/something)
judgmental + noun (comment/attitude/tone/remark)
用法筆記
Frequently used with the adverbs 'too', 'overly', or 'highly' to intensify the criticism. This sense carries a clearly negative connotation — calling someone judgmental implies they are unfair or unkind in their opinions.
常見錯誤
2. relating to the process of forming an opinion or making a decision after careful
relating to the process of forming an opinion or making a decision after carefully weighing the available information — for example, a hiring choice that is partly judgmental and partly based on data
Choosing between two good job offers requires careful judgment about which role fits your long-term career goals.
involves / calls for / requires judgment
The head judge made a difficult call about which gymnast performed best — a decision that required judgment rather than a fixed scoring formula.
required judgment rather than [rule]
Ibrahim's careful judgment helped him spot an unrealistic sales forecast in the business plan, saving the startup from a costly mistake.
A good manager knows that some evaluations are partly judgmental and cannot be reduced to numbers alone.
Shortlisting candidates for a job opening requires a significant amount of human judgment about their character as well as their skills.
- evaluative
more neutral and technical; focuses on systematic assessment rather than personal opinion
- deliberative
emphasizes careful, thoughtful consideration before reaching a conclusion
- non-judgmental
deliberately avoiding evaluation or assessment
文法句型
requires / calls for / involves / uses + judgment
be partly / largely judgmental
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is neutral or positive in tone and describes the act of evaluating carefully, not the habit of criticizing harshly. In natural English, this sense is rarely used attributively (before a noun). Instead, write 'requires judgment', 'calls for judgment', or 'is partly judgmental'. Common in formal or professional contexts.