appraise, apprise

The words appraise and apprise are often confused. Although their spellings are similar, their meanings are different.

On this page

• Definition of the word “appraise”
• Definition of the word “apprise”

Definition of the word “appraise”

Appraise can have several related meanings:

• 1. to assess the value of an object
  • The house was appraised at $430,000.
• 2. to estimate the amount of something
  • The insurance company examined the car to appraise the damage.
• 3. to carefully consider something and draw conclusions about it
  • Suddenly surrounded by snarling dogs, the letter carrier appraised the situation quickly and took flight.
• 4. to carefully examine someone and form an opinion about them
  • As they walked into the lobby in casual attire, the hotel staff appraised them with critical eyes.
• 5. to assess a person’s abilities or work
  • She appraised the candidates carefully before deciding who would get the position.
  • During performance evaluations, supervisors appraise their employees’ work.

Definition of the word “apprise”

Apprise means “to tell someone about something.” It’s often used in the passive and followed by the preposition of.

• All parties were fully apprised of the state of the negotiations.
• The principal has been apprised of the situation.