appreciation
Americannoun
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appreciations
plural
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gratitude; thankful recognition.
They showed their appreciation by giving him a gold watch.
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the act of estimating the qualities of things and giving them their proper value.
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clear perception or recognition, especially of aesthetic quality.
a course in art appreciation.
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an increase or rise in the value of property, goods, etc.
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critical notice; evaluation; opinion, as of a situation, person, etc.
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a critique or written evaluation, especially when favorable.
noun
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thanks or gratitude
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assessment of the true worth or value of persons or things
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perceptive recognition of qualities, as in art
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an increase in value, as of goods or property
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a written review of a book, etc, esp when favourable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonappreciationnoun
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overappreciationnoun
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self-appreciationnoun
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superappreciationnoun
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unappreciationnoun
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appreciationaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of appreciation
First recorded in 1600–10; earlier appretiation, from French appréciation, from Late Latin appretiātiō “appraisal, valuation”; equivalent to appreciate + -ion
Explanation
When you have an appreciation for something, you can see and truly understand its good qualities. One way to show your appreciation for a particularly wonderful musical performance is to give a standing ovation when it's over. A slightly different kind of appreciation is having good taste or the ability to see aesthetic beauty in something, like members of a wine appreciation group or the teacher of a music appreciation class. There's also the appreciation that means a rise in monetary value — you might refer to the appreciation of the value of a house, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing appreciation
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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May Vocabulary Words
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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.
See Examples For:
Those who lost a home, sold at the wrong time or couldn’t buy during those years missed out on that appreciation entirely.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
“It’s brought to me a real appreciation of the deeper aesthetic,” Sawitskas says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Another arguably fusionist figure discussed in the book is Ronald Reagan, who combined libertarian leanings with genuine appreciation for freedom anchored in virtue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
But growing up in Los Angeles, he found a sense of belonging in a multicultural community that gave him an appreciation for different cultures, cuisines and music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The parrot whistles with either disgust or appreciation at the spandex flexibility of the yarn.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
The report referenced “birthday celebrations, employee appreciations, baby showers, and flowers for a selective few, including executive leadership.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Margaret Atwood unpacks the essays, speeches and appreciations in her deep and deeply entertaining new nonfiction collection, ‘Burning Question.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025
These are not mutually exclusive appreciations of this gown, but I brought to the discussion my research on abolitionist visual culture and read it through that lens.
From Slate ● May 4, 2023
It’s the usual way of appreciations to speak of somebody in the past tense.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 24, 2023
The South cares nothing, in themselves, for the personal friendships or appreciations of high-placed dignitaries and men of light and leading.
From The Color Line A Brief in Behalf of the Unborn by William Benjamin Smith
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
