assess

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb assess differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of assess are appraise, estimate, evaluate, rate, and value. While all these words mean "to judge something with respect to its worth or significance," assess implies a critical appraisal for the purpose of understanding or interpreting, or as a guide in taking action.

officials are trying to assess the damage

Where would appraise be a reasonable alternative to assess?

Although the words appraise and assess have much in common, appraise commonly implies the fixing by an expert of the monetary worth of a thing, but it may be used of any critical judgment.

having their house appraised

When would estimate be a good substitute for assess?

In some situations, the words estimate and assess are roughly equivalent. However, estimate implies a judgment, considered or casual, that precedes or takes the place of actual measuring or counting or testing out.

estimated the crowd at two hundred

When is evaluate a more appropriate choice than assess?

The synonyms evaluate and assess are sometimes interchangeable, but evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary.

evaluate a student's work

How do rate and estimate relate to one another, in the sense of assess?

Rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values.

a highly rated restaurant

How are the words value and appraise related as synonyms of assess?

Value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment.

a watercolor valued by the donor at $500

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assess With the media’s normalization of white nationalism, recent years have made clear that there is a new urgency to assess the role that artists, through works of art, have played to illuminate the searing contours of the American body politic. Simon Njami, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025 Boone said it himself before the game while assessing his chances with his seventh playoff appearance over eight seasons in the Bronx. Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 For more than half a decade, Walmart has been testing a variety of drones to assess the viability of airborne deliveries. Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025 Last year, Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab polled 1,026 students at 181 colleges and universities to assess their media literacy skills. Joshua Finnell, JSTOR Daily, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assess
Verb
  • Combs begs for mercy Combs addressed the court before Judge Subramanian imposed his sentence, pleading for a second chance.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Judge Arun Subramanian also requested the court impose five years of supervised release and for Diddy to pay a $500,000 fine.
    Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday estimated that a shutdown could furlough roughly 750,000 federal workers each day, depriving them of about $400 million in wages daily.
    Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Researchers estimate that advances in screening account for about one-quarter of the drop in breast cancer deaths, while improved treatments are responsible for the other three-quarters.
    Dr. Noor Shaik, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The story of a Louisville man charged in connection to the murder of his fiancée had not fully unraveled when he was acquitted in 1991.
    Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Stryker also faces a charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 and Sonneman is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
    Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Records of boxwood plantings date back to the 1700s, and Ohio nurseries' boxwood inventory is valued at over $200 million, the blog reports, citing the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
    Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Switzerland, like Germany, built its 20th-century industrial economy on training and valuing all types of workers—those that work with their hands and those that work at a desk.
    Peter Vanham, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • For those staying short, funds with exposure to credit and backed by a strong team of analysts who evaluate more complex issuers and sectors may deliver better yield potential.
    Paul Malloy, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
  • The researchers acknowledge that with more screening, there is a risk of being called back for additional testing to evaluate the findings.
    Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assess. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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