Etymologically
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judgmental

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Pronunciation

  • UK: /d͡ʒʌd͡ʒˈmɛntl̩/[1]
  • US: /ˌd͡ʒʌd͡ʒˈmɛnt(ə)l/[1]

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

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