appraise
Pronunciation: /əˈpreɪz/
verb
- assess the value or quality of: there is a need to appraise existing techniques (as adjective appraising) she cast an appraising eye over the notes
- assess the performance of (an employee) formally: some companies are considering team appraisals instead of appraising individuals
- (of an official valuer) set a price on; value: they appraised the painting at £200,000



The verb appraise is frequently confused with apprise. Appraise means ‘assess (someone or something)’, as in a need to appraise existing techniques, or ‘value’, as in have the gold watch appraised by an expert, while apprise means ‘inform (someone)’ and is often used in the structure apprise someone of something, as in psychiatrists were apprised of his condition. People often incorrectly use appraise rather than apprise, as in once appraised of the real facts, there was only one person who showed any opposition.