Meaning & use
bad judgment
Last updated
Meanings
phraseuncountable
The act of making a poor decision or forming a wrong opinion, often because of carelessness or lack of thought.
Grammar: Uncountable; no article before it: 'That was bad judgment.' For one decision, say 'a bad judgment call'.
Patterns
- show bad judgment
- use bad judgment
- it was bad judgment to do something
Leaving your laptop on the train was bad judgment.
The company showed bad judgment by ignoring the safety reports.
It was bad judgment to lend him money without a contract.
phraseuncountable
A wrong opinion or assessment of a situation or person.
Grammar: Still uncountable; often used with 'of' to show what is judged: 'bad judgment of character'.
Patterns
- bad judgment of someone
- bad judgment about something
Her bad judgment of character led to several failed partnerships.
He made a bad judgment about the weather and got soaked.
Common combinations
- a bad judgment call
- Letting him drive was a bad judgment call.
- show bad judgment
- She showed bad judgment by trusting him.
- an error of judgment
- The report called it an error of judgment, not a crime.
- bad judgment on someone's part
- It was bad judgment on my part to ignore the warning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- poor judgment
- A more formal way to say the same thing, often used in official reports.
- misjudgment
- Focuses on a single wrong decision, not a general lack of good sense.
- error of judgment
- A formal phrase used especially in legal or professional contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- judgmental adjective
- Too quick to criticize others.
- judge verb
- To form an opinion or decision about something.
Commonly confused: bad judgment or bad judgement?
bad judgment vs bad judgement
British spelling; American English uses 'judgment' without the extra 'e'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'bad judgment' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Bad judgment' is uncountable and often follows 'show'. Option A needs 'a bad judgment call'. Option C is not natural. Option D uses a plural, which is not standard for this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bad judgment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.