evaluation
Americannoun
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an act or instance of evaluating or appraising.
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(especially in medicine) a diagnosis or diagnostic study of a physical or mental condition.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of evaluation
From the French word évaluation, dating back to 1745–55. See e- 1, valuation
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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.
The WHO said it would work closely with the DR Congo and Uganda to facilitate research evaluation of these products.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
Despite having a mental evaluation, a month later in July, he again tried to access the White House.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
"These findings highlight a potential dose-dependent safety concern that warrants urgent prospective evaluation to guide prescribing and regulatory policy."
From Science Daily • May 23, 2026
ACT spokesman Juan Elizondo said getting extra time isn’t as simple as paying a neuropsychologist for an evaluation, which can cost between $2,000 and upwards of $10,000 and often isn’t covered by insurance.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 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
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.
