appraisal

American  

[uh-prey-zuhl] / əˈpreɪ zəl /

Or appraisement

noun

1. the act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone.

2. an estimate of value, as for sale, assessment, or taxation; valuation.

3. an estimate or considered opinion of the nature, quality, importance, etc.

   the critics' appraisal of pop art; an incorrect appraisal of public opinion.

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appraisal British  

/ əˈpreɪzəl /

noun

1. an assessment or estimation of the worth, value, or quality of a person or thing See also performance appraisal

2. a valuation of property or goods

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appraisal Cultural  

1. A formal evaluation of property by an expert, used to establish its market value.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misappraisal
  noun
• overappraisal
  noun
• reappraisal
  noun
• self-appraisal
  noun

Etymology

Origin of appraisal

First recorded in 1810–20; appraise + -al ²

Explanation

An appraisal is a judgment of something, especially an estimate of how much it's worth. Usually you need an expert to give an official appraisal. If you were selling a house, you'd need an expert in real estate to give an appraisal of how much it's worth — that's an official estimate of how much you could sell it for. But this word can also be used in other less formal situations that call for a judgment or opinion of some sort. If you painted a picture, you could ask, "What's your appraisal of my work?" Hopefully the answer is "beautiful!"

Related Words

• assessment
• evaluation
• opinion
• pricing
• survey
• valuation