value

[ val-yoo ]

/ ˈvæl yu /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR value ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

relative worth, merit, or importance: the value of a college education; the value of a queen in chess.

monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade: This piece of land has greatly increased in value.

the worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of some medium of exchange.

equivalent worth or return in money, material, services, etc.: to give value for value received.

estimated or assigned worth; valuation: a painting with a current value of $500,000.

denomination, as of a monetary issue or a postage stamp.

Mathematics.

magnitude; quantity; number represented by a figure, symbol, or the like: the value of an angle; the value of x; the value of a sum.
a point in the range of a function; a point in the range corresponding to a given point in the domain of a function: The value of x2 at 2 is 4.

import or meaning; force; significance: the value of a word.

liking or affection; favorable regard.

values, Sociology. the ideals, customs, institutions, etc., of a society toward which the people of the group have an affective regard. These values may be positive, as cleanliness, freedom, or education, or negative, as cruelty, crime, or blasphemy.

Ethics. any object or quality desirable as a means or as an end in itself.

Fine Arts.

degree of lightness or darkness in a color.
the relation of light and shade in a painting, drawing, or the like.

Music. the relative length or duration of a tone signified by a note.

values, Mining. the marketable portions of an orebody.

Phonetics.

quality.
the phonetic equivalent of a letter, as the sound of a in hat, sang, etc.

verb (used with object), val·ued, val·u·ing.

to calculate or reckon the monetary value of; give a specified material or financial value to; assess; appraise: to value their assets.

to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance.

to regard or esteem highly: He values her friendship.

Nearby words

valuable, valuables, valuate, valuation, valuator, value, value added, value date, value fund, value judgment, value-added

Origin of value

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French, noun use of feminine past participle (cf. valuta) of valoir < Latin valēre to be worth

SYNONYMS FOR value

1 utility.

3 cost, price.

18 prize.

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Related forms

mis·val·ue, verb (used with object), mis·val·ued, mis·val·u·ing.non·val·ue, nounout·val·ue, verb (used with object), out·val·ued, out·val·u·ing.pre·val·ue, noun, verb (used with object), pre·val·ued, pre·val·u·ing.

self-val·u·ing, adjectivesu·per·val·ue, noun, verb (used with object), su·per·val·ued, su·per·val·u·ing.

Synonym study

1. Value, worth imply intrinsic excellence or desirability. Value is that quality of anything which renders it desirable or useful: the value of sunlight or good books. Worth implies especially spiritual qualities of mind and character, or moral excellence: Few knew her true worth. 18. See appreciate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for value

But there's a ton of value for me in my background and my history, and losing it would be a shame.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As Randy notes, “Maybe there is a value in shining a light on this and asking the questions.”
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Canned drinks like Mercy contain up 5,000 percent of the daily value of certain vitamins.
History's Craziest Hangover Cures|Justin Jones|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a humiliating turn of events, the ruble has lost about half its value against the dollar so far this year.
Putin Can’t Bully or Bomb a Recession|Daniel Gross|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He called her The Duchess, and if The Duchess didn't like something, then it was of no value.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This would mean 4.5 persons per house, certainly too low a value for the aboriginal social family.
The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California|Sherburne Friend Cook
It is this power of combination with bases that makes them of value in wool dyeing.
The Dyeing of Woollen Fabrics|Franklin Beech
This fact, however, by no means detracts from the value of such a magnificent herd as that of Mr. Crosbie.
Disturbed Ireland|Bernard H. Becker
He forgot all premonitions, doubt was behind him; he no longer gauged the value of his desire for Ludowika Winscombe.
The Three Black Pennys|Joseph Hergesheimer
And yet he who seeks a meaning in these things and a value and an inner development may come to another kind of truth.
Psychology and Social Sanity|Hugo Mnsterberg

British Dictionary definitions for value

value

/ (ˈvæljuː) /

noun

the desirability of a thing, often in respect of some property such as usefulness or exchangeability; worth, merit, or importance

an amount, esp a material or monetary one, considered to be a fair exchange in return for a thing; assigned valuationthe value of the picture is £10 000

reasonable or equivalent return; satisfactionvalue for money

precise meaning or significance

(plural) the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social groupa person with old-fashioned values

maths

a particular magnitude, number, or amountthe value of the variable was 7
the particular quantity that is the result of applying a function or operation for some given argumentthe value of the function for x=3 was 9

music short for time value

(in painting, drawing, etc)

a gradation of tone from light to dark or of colour luminosity
the relation of one of these elements to another or to the whole picture

phonetics the quality or tone of the speech sound associated with a written character representing it`g' has the value dʒ in English `gem'

verb -ues, -uing or -ued (tr)

to assess or estimate the worth, merit, or desirability of; appraise

to have a high regard for, esp in respect of worth, usefulness, merit, etc; esteem or prizeto value freedom

(foll by at) to fix the financial or material worth of (a unit of currency, work of art, etc)jewels valued at £40 000

Word Origin for value

C14: from Old French, from valoir, from Latin valēre to be worth, be strong

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for value (1 of 2)

value

c.1300, from Old French value "worth, value" (13c.), noun use of fem. past participle of valoir "be worth," from Latin valere "be strong, be well, be of value" (see valiant). The meaning "social principle" is attested from 1918, supposedly borrowed from the language of painting. Value judgment (1892) is a loan-translation of German Werturteil.

Word Origin and History for value (1 of 2)

value

mid-15c., probably from value (n.). Related: Valued, valuing.

Medicine definitions for value

value

[ văl′yōō ]

n.

A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.

An assigned or calculated numerical quantity.

Science definitions for value

value

[ văl′yōō ]

Mathematics An assigned or calculated numerical quantity.

The relative darkness or lightness of a color. Value measures where a color falls on an achromatic scale from white to black. Compare hue saturation.

Idioms and Phrases with value

value

see at face value.

value

noun

verb (used with object), val·ued, val·u·ing.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of value

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for value

British Dictionary definitions for value

value

noun

verb -ues, -uing or -ued (tr)

Word Origin for value

Word Origin and History for value (1 of 2)

value

Word Origin and History for value (1 of 2)

value

Medicine definitions for value

value

n.

Science definitions for value

value

Idioms and Phrases with value

value