judgmental

Etymology

It is formed from English judgment + -al,^[2][3][4] and the chiefly British spelling with -e- follows that of judgement.^[4][3] The noun is from Old French jugement, from jugier (“to judge”), from Latin iūdicō (“to judge, examine officially”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of, relating to, or involving judgment: Merriam-Webster Unabridged dates this sense to 1834.^[5] Etymonline gives 1873, "involving the exercise of judgment",^[2] the Collegiate 1909,^[6] Dictionary.com 1905–10^[3] and the Shorter Oxford the early 20th century.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The sense now usual, inclined to make moral judgments about others, is attested from 1952.^[2] The dictionaries define it as a tendency to judge harshly^[6][5] or to make judgments, especially moral or personal ones,^[7] and Collins describes it as an attitude of passing judgment on other people's conduct.^[8]

Timeline

• 1834 – relating to or involving judgment.^[5] Etymonline dates it to 1873.^[2]
• 1952 – inclined to make moral judgments about others.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Quick to judge other people, especially harshly or on moral grounds; censorious: His friends were never judgmental about his choices.^[8][5][7][6]
2. Of, relating to, or involving judgment: The auditors relied on judgmental assessment rather than fixed rules.^[5][7][6]

Word family

• judgmentally
• nonjudgmental
• unjudgmental

Related words

• judgment
• judge
• judicial
• judicious

Usage notes

Both spellings are common: judgmental is much more frequent in American English and judgemental in British English.^[1][3][8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins