Synonyms

appreciate

American

[uh-pree-shee-eyt] / əˈpri ʃiˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

to be grateful or thankful for.

They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on.

to appreciate good wine.
to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect.

to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
to raise in value.

verb (used without object)

to increase in value.

Property values appreciated yearly.

appreciate British

/ əˈpriːʃɪˌeɪt, -sɪ- /

verb

to feel thankful or grateful for

to appreciate a favour
(may take a clause as object) to take full or sufficient account of

to appreciate a problem
to value highly

to appreciate Shakespeare
(usually intr) to raise or increase in value

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What are other ways to say appreciate? To appreciate something is to value or regard it highly. How is appreciate different from esteem, value, and prize? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of appreciate

First recorded in 1645–55; from Medieval Latin appreciātus “valued, appraised,” from Late Latin appretiātus, past participle of appretiāre “to appraise” (equivalent to Latin ap- ap- ¹ + preti(um) price + -ātus -ate ¹ )

Explanation

If you appreciate something, you recognize its value. We can all appreciate how refreshing cold lemonade is on a sweltering summer day. The oldest meaning of appreciate is "to know the worth of something": "The parolee appreciated his newfound freedom." A related sense is "to be grateful for something," but this usage can sound wordy. Instead of "I would appreciate your sending me more information," consider: "Please send me more information." The word can also be used (without a direct object) to mean "to rise in worth": "The vintage Corvette would appreciate in value over the years."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing appreciate

List 4

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"Icarus's Flight," Vocabulary from the poem

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Because of Winn-Dixie

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Appreciate the variety of ways a planet might be, and how many of them are, cold, dry, sterile, baked, toxic, inhospitable, and, as far as we can tell, completely devoid of life.

From Slate • Dec. 9, 2025

"Appreciate everyone for checking in," he wrote on Instagram.

From Barron's • Nov. 3, 2025

"Appreciate my MSG family for taking such good care of me and I need to shout out the crew that had to clean that up. Appreciate you!"

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2025

“Thank you guys for understanding. Appreciate your support always.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2024

Appreciate thou the value of this high station and beseech God—exalted is His glory—to graciously enable thee to safeguard it.

From Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas by Bahá'u'lláh

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023