noun
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the act of assessing, esp (in Britain) the evaluation of a student's achievement on a course
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an amount determined as payable
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a valuation set on taxable property, income, etc
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evaluation; estimation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of assessment
Explanation
Assessment is a word you hear a lot around schools — an assessment is an evaluation, and one type of assessment is used to measure what someone knows or has learned. Tests and term papers can be assessment tools. More than just students are given assessments. You might bring your dad's plastic gnome collection to an expert for an assessment and find out it's worth all of $15.35. You might make a quick assessment of a sticky situation — say it's you, a tasty ham sandwich, and your hungry dog— and decide to run.
Vocabulary lists containing assessment
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791)
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This Week in Words: January 12 - 18, 2019
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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.
In recent weeks, Bass has offered her own critical assessment of Raman, saying the democratic socialist struggled to work closely with others — even her own allies.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
“The Board’s standard is stringent, involves numerous steps and use of validated risk assessment tools, including evaluation by forensic psychologists,” spokesperson Emily Humpal wrote in an email.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
Or maybe it’s just as simple as Bramsen’s assessment: “It’s a very Gen Z thing to romanticize weird situations.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Norway, which has never had a nuclear plant, greenlit an impact assessment for a small modular reactor in March.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
In a sense it was an accurate statement of Hamilton’s assessment.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
