What does appraised mean?
'Appraised' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'appraise', meaning to assess the value or quality of something, usually in an official or expert capacity. The word dominates financial and property contexts: houses are appraised for mortgages, jewellery and antiques are appraised for insurance, and artworks are appraised before auction. An appraised figure carries an implication of professional authority — it is not a casual guess but a considered judgement by someone qualified to make it. Beyond money, the verb can describe evaluating anything's merit or character, as when one person coolly appraises another's chances. The word traces back through Old French 'aprisier' to Late Latin 'appretiare', built on 'pretium', meaning price — making it a cousin of 'appreciate', 'praise', and 'precious'. A common pitfall is confusing it with 'apprised', which means informed or notified; the two sound alike but mean entirely different things.
verbPast tense and past participle of 'appraise': to assess the value or quality of something, especially formally or by an expert.
- To assess the monetary value of something, typically by a qualified expert.
- To evaluate or judge the quality, nature, or worth of something more generally.
"The jeweller appraised the diamond at over ten thousand dollars."
"An independent expert appraised the painting before it went to auction."
"She calmly appraised her opponent's position before making her move."
The same Latin root that gave us 'price' and 'precious' also gave us 'appraise' — to judge a thing's worth is literally to set its price.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of appraised
'Appraised' derives from the verb 'appraise', which entered English in the late Middle Ages from Old French 'aprisier', itself from Late Latin 'appretiare', meaning to set a price on. The root is Latin 'pretium' (price), which also underlies 'appreciate', 'praise', 'precious', and 'price'. The spelling was influenced by 'praise', though the two words share the same ultimate origin.
Related word forms
How appraised is actually used
Formal to neutral register; most common in financial, legal, insurance, and real-estate contexts. The general sense of judging quality is less frequent but well established. Note that 'appraised' refers to the action performed on something — a person is not usually 'appraised', though performance appraisals exist in workplace jargon.
Easily confused with appraised
'Appraised' means to assess the value of something, while 'apprised' means to inform or notify someone.