appraisal
Americannoun
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the act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone.
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an estimate of value, as for sale, assessment, or taxation; valuation.
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an estimate or considered opinion of the nature, quality, importance, etc.
the critics' appraisal of pop art; an incorrect appraisal of public opinion.
noun
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an assessment or estimation of the worth, value, or quality of a person or thing See also performance appraisal
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a valuation of property or goods
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of appraisal
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!"
Vocabulary lists containing appraisal
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
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Most Dangerous
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 20–August 26, 2022
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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.
My other sister spoke with someone at one of the nursing homes, who said I may be able to buy out my mom’s half based on a fair-market-value appraisal, if I act soon.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
In the suburbs of New York City, “inventory is just about as tight as it’s ever been,” says Jonathan Miller, an adjunct professor at Columbia University and the CEO of appraisal firm Miller Samuel.
From Barron's • May 31, 2026
Civil rights activists in the South had a withering appraisal of the decision.
From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026
Aris Tyrothoulakis, director for women's & children's services at NHS Lothian said no decisions had been made on any closure of Sunndach or Calareidh but an appraisal of options was due later this year.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Before the war, the life of Reinhold von Rumpel was pleasant enough: he was a gemologist who ran an appraisal business out of a second-story shop behind Stuttgart’s old chancellery.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
