appraise

[uh-preyz]

verb (used with object)

appraised, appraising 

1. to estimate the monetary value of; determine the worth of; assess.

   We had an expert appraise the house before we bought it.

2. to estimate the nature, quality, importance, etc..

   He tried to appraise the poetry of John Updike.

appraise

/ əˈpreɪz /

verb

1. to assess the worth, value, or quality of

2. to make a valuation of, as for taxation purposes

Usage

Appraise is sometimes wrongly used where apprise is meant: they had been apprised ( not appraised ) of my arrival

Other Word Forms

• appraisable adjective
• appraiser noun
• appraisingly adverb
• appraisive adjective
• misappraise verb (used with object)
• overappraise verb (used with object)
• reappraise verb (used with object)
• unappraised adjective
• appraisively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of appraise¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English apraysen “to set a value on”; probably equivalent to a conflation of apprize ¹ and praise (with the sense of prize ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of appraise¹

C15: from Old French aprisier, from prisier to _prize ²

Example Sentences

There were new faces, too, including a cohort of young men who appraised Cruz with curiosity and suspicion.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The $200-million sale was considered a bargain compared with the building’s appraised value of more than $600 million a few years earlier — a symptom of plummeting downtown office values.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, when Harry invites Lucy up for a nightcap, she kisses him with her eyes open so she can appraise his $12-million loft.

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The Connecticut home was appraised in late April at $1 million.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"It is concerning that people who have no healthcare training at all can purchase high risk equipment for their loved ones online without being appraised of those risks."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• apprize 
• assess 
• audit 
• calculate 
• check out 
• evaluate 
• examine 
• gauge 
• inspect 
• peg