appreciation

American  

[uh-pree-shee-ey-shuhn] / əˌpri ʃiˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

appreciations plural

1. gratitude; thankful recognition.

   They showed their appreciation by giving him a gold watch.

2. the act of estimating the qualities of things and giving them their proper value.

3. clear perception or recognition, especially of aesthetic quality.

   a course in art appreciation.

4. an increase or rise in the value of property, goods, etc.

5. critical notice; evaluation; opinion, as of a situation, person, etc.

6. a critique or written evaluation, especially when favorable.

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appreciation British  

/ -sɪ-, əˌpriːʃɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. thanks or gratitude

2. assessment of the true worth or value of persons or things

3. perceptive recognition of qualities, as in art

4. an increase in value, as of goods or property

5. a written review of a book, etc, esp when favourable

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonappreciation
  noun
• overappreciation
  noun
• self-appreciation
  noun
• superappreciation
  noun
• unappreciation
  noun
• appreciational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• appreciations
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appreciation appreciations

He and other market organizers passed out refreshments to the vendors — tokens of appreciation for coming back outside amid continuing uncertainty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

I could say that lately I’ve been regarding the things I find nourishing with renewed appreciation.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Mitsotakis, however, congratulated Nolan on the film's "great box office success" and expressed appreciation that a significant part of the production was filmed in Greece.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

But there was still a mutual show of love as Fleetwood walked down the 18th fairway, lapping up a rapturous reception and showing his appreciation by thumping his heart.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

“I hope they don’t get in trouble with Suya for giving us these,” said Pinmei with appreciation.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

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

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

Stewart shunned all sendoffs and appreciations in his final season, something Harvick told the AP that Stewart now regrets.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 12, 2023

He did not want the mob’s applause; he shrank from the appreciations of the thoughtless street folk as a nun would shrink from the compliments of a band of rough soldiery.

From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Berdoe, Edward

Related Words

• admiration
• affection
• awareness
• commendation
• enjoyment
• esteem
• knowledge
• love
• perception
• realization
• recognition
• respect
• sensitivity
• sympathy
• understanding