🇺🇸
/əˈdʒudʒ/
🇺🇸
/əˈdʒudʒ/
🇬🇧
/əˈdʒudʒ/
🇬🇧
/əˈdʒudʒ/
Past Tense
adjudged
Past Participle
adjudged
Gerund
adjudging
3rd Person
adjudges
Adjudge is a formal, legal-sounding verb meaning to officially decide or rule something after careful consideration—often used in courts or official proceedings. Think of a judge solemnly declaring, 'The court adjudges the defendant guilty,' not just saying 'I think so.' It’s weightier than 'decide' and implies binding authority.
The tribunal adjudged the claimant entitled to compensation.
She was adjudged the winner of the international piano competition by unanimous vote.
The court adjudged the contract void due to fraud.
He was adjudged mentally incompetent to stand trial.
The panel adjudged the research proposal both innovative and rigorously designed.
judic
Comes from the Latin root 'judic-' (from 'judex', genitive 'judicis'), meaning 'judge' or 'to judge'. It conveys the core concept of legal judgment, decision-making by authority, and formal assessment. Examples include adjudicate, adjudication, judge, judicial, prejudice, abjure (via 'jurare', related to oath-taking in legal contexts).
ad
Comes from the Latin prefix 'ad-', meaning 'to' or 'toward'. It indicates direction, addition, or intensification — here, signaling movement toward a formal judgment or assignment. Examples include adjudicate, adapt, adopt, adhere, address.