judicial

[joo-dish-uhl]

adjective

1. pertaining to judgment in courts of justice or to the administration of justice.

   judicial proceedings; the judicial system.

   Synonyms: juridical

2. pertaining to courts of law or to judges; judiciary.

   judicial functions.

   Synonyms: forensic, juridical

3. of or relating to a judge; proper to the character of a judge; judgelike.

   judicial gravity.

4. inclined to make or give judgments; critical; discriminating.

   a judicial mind.

5. decreed, sanctioned, or enforced by a court.

   a judicial decision.

6. giving or seeking judgment, as in a dispute or contest; determinative.

   a judicial duel over lands.

7. inflicted by God as a judgment or punishment.

judicial

/ dʒuːˈdɪʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the administration of justice

2. of or relating to judgment in a court of law or to a judge exercising this function

3. inclined to pass judgment; discriminating

4. allowed or enforced by a court of law

   a decree of judicial separation

5. having qualities appropriate to a judge

6. giving or seeking judgment, esp determining or seeking determination of a contested issue

Other Word Forms

• judicially adverb
• judicialness noun
• nonjudicial adjective
• nonjudicially adverb
• semijudicial adjective
• semijudicially adverb
• subjudicial adjective
• subjudicially adverb
• superjudicial adjective
• superjudicially adverb
• unjudicial adjective
• unjudicially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of judicial¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin jūdiciālis of the law courts, equivalent to jūdici ( um ) judgment ( judge, -ium ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of judicial¹

C14: from Latin jūdiciālis belonging to the law courts, from jūdicium judgment, from jūdex a judge

Synonym Study

See judicious.

Example Sentences

A five-year audit of California’s judicial watchdog agency found it failed to thoroughly probe allegations of misconduct and ignored patterns of wrongdoing by some judges.

From Los Angeles Times

The report, titled "A War of Atrocities" called on the international community to enforce an arms embargo as well as set up an independent judicial process to ensure alleged perpetrators face justice.

From BBC

The settlement, which needs judicial approval before taking effect, calls for Norwalk to repeal its ban at an upcoming City Council meeting, Bonta said in a release.

From Los Angeles Times

“Schools already require proper judicial orders before allowing immigration enforcement on campus, so these bills don’t change anything,” Shaw said.

From Los Angeles Times

But he didn’t stop there, offering an analysis of judicial precedent that was a moral tour de force.

From Salon

When To Use

What does judicial mean?

Judicial describes something related to courts of law or judges. For example, a judicial review refers to a court reviewing the action of an administrative, legislative, or executive branch of government.Broadly, judicial can refer to any part of the legal process, but it often relates directly to a judge and their practices. Judges make judicial decisions, and any court process that involves the judge making a decision is referred to as judicial.Judicial can also be used to describe something or someone as critical or discriminating or inclined to making judgments. If you look carefully at both sides of an argument before making a serious decision, you could be described as being judicial in your decision-making.Example: The judicial branch of government evaluates and upholds the law.