Judgment is the ability to make good decisions by carefully thinking through a situation and considering what's right, wise, or best to do. When your parents trust your judgment about choosing friends or managing your time, they believe you'll think things through and make sensible choices. A teacher uses judgment when deciding how to help a struggling student, weighing different approaches to find what will work best.

Good judgment comes from experience, knowledge, and the ability to see situations clearly. Someone with poor judgment might rush into decisions without thinking them through, like spending all their allowance on candy instead of saving some for something they really want. Someone with sound judgment considers the consequences before acting.

The word also means a formal decision, especially in court. When a judge makes a judgment in a trial, that's the official ruling about guilt, innocence, or how to settle a dispute. You might hear someone say “the judgment of the court” when referring to this legal decision.

People sometimes confuse judgment with judgmental, but they're different. Judgment is about making decisions and evaluations, while being judgmental means criticizing others too quickly or harshly. You can use good judgment without being judgmental toward other people.