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:
Florida woman Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 36, was deemed mentally competent by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi, meaning the criminal case can proceed after a competency evaluation delayed it for more than four months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 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
It was calculated after a job evaluation that looked at each role within the local authority.
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
Davenport, the Harvard-trained zoologist famous for establishing the Eugenics Record Office, created a standardized evaluation form to judge the fittest babies.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The model is going through final evaluations, with early access available to select parties.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
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
Specific safeguards can be tested: limits on an agent’s access, independent security evaluations, reporting of serious incidents and the ability to shut down a system that acts outside its authority.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Like the mistrals fierce winds, his evaluations of his own worth are variable and unpredictable, and can be destructive.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
