assessment

noun

as·​sess·​ment ə-ˈses-mənt 

a-

1

: the action or an instance of making a judgment about something : the act of assessing something : appraisal

assessment of damages

an assessment of the president's achievements

2

: the amount assessed : an amount that a person is officially required to pay especially as a tax

the tax assessment on property

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History of Assessment

Assessment has two meanings (“an amount that a person is officially required to pay” and “the act of making a judgment about something”) so distinct that one might rightfully wonder if they come from different sources. They do not.

Both are derived from related senses of assess, a verb that for over 500 years has meant “to determine the rate or amount of (a tax).” The monetary sense of assessment is tied to this oldest use of assess. By the 19th century, the verb’s object shifted slightly to produce a new meaning, “to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation.” It was but a short step from here to the broadened sense “to make a judgment about” that is the basis of assessment “the act of making a judgment.”

Synonyms of assessment

• tax

Examples of assessment in a Sentence

It's a difficult problem that requires careful assessment.

I don't agree with his assessment of the problem.

The owners claimed the tax assessment on their house was too high.

Recent Examples on the Web

And in a recent assessment of the chances for a Supreme Court vacancy, Washington consultant Bruce Mehlman noted that all of the justices are well-below the average age of 79 for those who’ve stepped down in recent years. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026

In San Diego, a high school English teacher can clear her grading queue in a matter of days by outsourcing her initial assessments to ChatGPT. —Eric Sullivan, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2026

If the special assessment ballot did not state when the assessment would become due, the board’s decision on that due date should be recorded in the HOA minutes. —Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026

But after some pushback from four-year state schools, a third-party assessment was ultimately made before the program was given the stamp of approval from the Board of Governors. —Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see assess

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assessment

• self-assessment
• special assessment

Rhymes for assessment

• impressment
• reassessment

Kids Definition

assessment

noun

as·​sess·​ment ə-ˈses-mənt 

a-

1

: the act of assessing

2

: the amount or value assessed