student asking question

Can I say "shrouding your judgement" instead of "clouding your judgement"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question! Although "shroud" can be a synonym for "cloud," meaning to obscure or cover something, it actually sounds a bit awkward in this context. The proper expression is to "cloud [one's] judgment," meaning to affect one's judgment or decision making in a negative way, or to prevent one from thinking clearly. It does not correspond with the definition of "shroud" mentioned above. Ex: Alcohol clouds one's judgment. Ex: I am an emotional person, so sometimes my emotions can cloud my judgment.

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