appraisal

American  

[uh-prey-zuhl] / əˈpreɪ zəl /

Or appraisement

noun

1. the act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone.

2. an estimate of value, as for sale, assessment, or taxation; valuation.

3. an estimate or considered opinion of the nature, quality, importance, etc.

   the critics' appraisal of pop art; an incorrect appraisal of public opinion.

---

appraisal British  

/ əˈpreɪzəl /

noun

1. an assessment or estimation of the worth, value, or quality of a person or thing See also performance appraisal

2. a valuation of property or goods

---

appraisal Cultural  

1. A formal evaluation of property by an expert, used to establish its market value.

---

Other Word Forms

• misappraisal noun
• overappraisal noun
• reappraisal noun
• self-appraisal noun

Etymology

Origin of appraisal

First recorded in 1810–20; appraise + -al ²

Explanation

An appraisal is a judgment of something, especially an estimate of how much it's worth. Usually you need an expert to give an official appraisal. If you were selling a house, you'd need an expert in real estate to give an appraisal of how much it's worth — that's an official estimate of how much you could sell it for. But this word can also be used in other less formal situations that call for a judgment or opinion of some sort. If you painted a picture, you could ask, "What's your appraisal of my work?" Hopefully the answer is "beautiful!"

Example Sentences

Aris Tyrothoulakis, director for women's & children's services at NHS Lothian said no decisions had been made on any closure of Sunndach or Calareidh but an appraisal of options was due later this year.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

One typical appraisal came from Truist Securities analyst William Stein, who raised his target price on Nvidia stock to $287 from $283 and kept a Buy rating.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

An April 2024 appraisal by real estate brokerage Colliers submitted in a bankruptcy case involving the project estimated the as-is market value of the complex at nearly $434 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

“These common contingencies — inspection, appraisal, financing, sale of the buyer’s current home, clear title, etc. — mean that backing out for those reasons is lawful and permitted under the contract.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

The fair, according to one later appraisal, was a more dangerous place to work than a coal mine.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• assessment
• evaluation
• opinion
• pricing
• survey
• valuation