What does adjudging mean?
Adjudging is the present participle of the verb "adjudge," a formal term meaning to declare or determine something by judicial decision, or more broadly, to deem or pronounce something to be so. Its dominant use today sits firmly within law: a person may be adjudged bankrupt, adjudged guilty, or adjudged insane — meaning a court has not merely considered but formally declared that status, giving it binding legal force. Beyond the courtroom, the word carries an older, more literary sense of simply regarding or judging something to be a particular way, as when critics are said to have adjudged a work a masterpiece. The tone is unmistakably formal and slightly archaic in flavor; ordinary speech favors words like "deeming" or "declaring." Derived from Latin roots shared with "judge" and "adjudicate," adjudging occupies a precise niche: where "adjudicating" describes the process of hearing and weighing a case, "adjudging" names the moment of official pronouncement itself.
To declare or order something formally by a judgment of a court; to adjudge.
"The tribunal was adjudging the disputed territory to belong to neither state."
Almost exclusively used in legal registers; the simple past "adjudged" is far more common than the progressive form.
To consider, deem, or pronounce something to be the case; to judge or regard.
"The panel, adjudging the entry the strongest of the year, awarded it first prize."
This sense tends toward literary or elevated prose rather than everyday conversation.
When a judge says someone is "adjudged" bankrupt, they aren't just deciding it — they're officially declaring it into legal existence with one word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adjudging
Adjudging derives from the verb "adjudge," which entered English from Old French "ajugier," ultimately rooted in the Latin "adjudicare" — formed from "ad-" (toward) plus "judicare" (to judge), itself from "judex," meaning judge. The Latin root also gave English "adjudicate" and "adjudication," making these close cognates rather than separate lineages. The verb has been part of English since at least the late Middle Ages, retaining its formal, legal character throughout its history.
Related word forms
How adjudging is actually used
Formal and largely confined to legal contexts in its first sense. The second sense (to deem or consider) appears more often in literary or elevated prose than everyday speech. In modern usage, "adjudicate" has largely displaced "adjudge" for the process of judging itself, leaving "adjudge/adjudging" focused on the act of formal declaration.
Easily confused with adjudging
"Adjudicating" means actively hearing and settling a case as a judge or arbiter, while "adjudging" refers to the formal declaration or pronouncement of a decision.