What does apprized mean?
Apprized is the past tense and past participle of the verb apprise, meaning to inform or notify someone of something, typically in a formal or official context. It appears most often in legal, business, and administrative writing — for example, when stakeholders are kept apprized of developments in a negotiation or investigation. The spelling with a z is a recognized variant of the far more common 'apprised,' and both forms carry the same meaning. Because it looks so similar to 'appraised' — which means to assess the value of something — 'apprized' is frequently confused with that word, making careful spelling worthwhile. The verb traces back through French apprendre to Latin apprehendere, 'to seize or grasp,' so to be apprized of something is etymologically to have grasped it mentally. In modern usage it conveys a tone of diligence and courtesy: keeping someone apprized signals transparency and attentiveness rather than casual chatter.
verbPast tense and past participle of apprise, meaning to inform or notify someone of something. 'Apprized' is a less common variant spelling of 'apprised'.
- To inform or notify someone formally of something (past tense/past participle of apprise).
"The committee was apprized of the delay well before the deadline."
"Shareholders were apprized of the merger talks before any public announcement."
"She kept her supervisor apprized of every development in the case."
Spelled with a z instead of an s, 'apprized' is the rarer twin of 'apprised' — same meaning, but easy to mistake for its valuation cousin 'appraised.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apprized
Apprized derives from the verb apprise, borrowed into English from French apprendre ('to learn, teach'), which descends from Latin apprehendere, 'to seize or grasp.' The Latin root also gives English words such as apprehend and comprehend. The variant spelling with -z arose by association with the older verb appraise (also once spelled 'apprize'), which shares the same Latin ancestry; historically 'apprize' could mean either 'to inform' or 'to value,' though the two senses later split into distinct spellings.
Related word forms
How apprized is actually used
Formal register, common in legal, business, and official correspondence. The spelling 'apprized' is considerably less frequent than 'apprised'; writers should choose one form and use it consistently.
Easily confused with apprized
'Apprized' means informed or notified, while 'appraised' means assessed or given an estimated value.