evaluation
Americannoun
-
evaluations
plural
-
an act or instance of evaluating or appraising.
-
(especially in medicine) a diagnosis or diagnostic study of a physical or mental condition.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of evaluation
From the French word évaluation, dating back to 1745–55. See e- 1, valuation
Compare meaning
How does evaluation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An evaluation is an appraisal of something to determine its worth or fitness. For example, before you start an exercise program, get a medical evaluation, to make sure you're able to handle the activity. At the heart of the noun evaluation is the root word value, which means "worth." So an evaluation is an examination to find the worth of something. We do this every day — maybe making an evaluation of the prices in a store to decide whether or not to shop there. We might get an appraisal of our property, which is an evaluation to determine its worth in preparation for taking out a mortgage. Evaluation is vital in planning our lives.
Vocabulary lists containing evaluation
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ion, -tion, -ation
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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:
California students had to pass three other requirements under state law: receive a positive teacher evaluation, have the school consult with a parent and demonstrate basic academic skills in an assessment chosen by each district.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
“This was a personnel decision made at the Washington field office level alone based on our constant evaluation of mission needs.”
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The job evaluation then provided a score for each role within the council, with those scores used to establish which pay grade - out of a possible 12 - each job should sit in.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“I think this is just good hygiene,” Niccol said in July about the company’s evaluation of store profitability and decision to close locations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Before they went too far with their planning, however, Dr. Atkinson asked that I have a more intense mental evaluation.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
The governor added that hiring for public employment already includes personal conduct evaluations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Participants underwent regular health evaluations every 4-8 years.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
So he revised online evaluations to include prompts for managers to ask questions like “Did you like the assignment leader?” and “Was it too much work?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
With over 100 signatories, the letter called for diversity in evaluations and operational safeguards to help evaluators maintain independence.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
I correct Ethan twice in his evaluations of Walden.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
