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
  • Restrictions were also imposed at airports in Volgograd, Kaluga, Penza, Samara, Pskov and Yaroslavl.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Abarca had allegedly thrown his wife to the ground during an argument, charging documents said, that led to her asking a judge to impose a restraining order against him.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 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
  • Fremont Hotel & Casino typically offers free valet parking for guests, but may charge on some occasions like special events.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
  • They’ve have each been charged with 20 counts of stalking in the first degree and 20 counts of witness intimidation in a criminal case, according to a complaint obtained by the Idaho Statesman.
    Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 27 Sep. 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
  • An editor approached me with a tough assignment of tasting, evaluating and reviewing a chicken Caesar wrap.
    Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 27 Sep. 2025
  • The monitor’s primary responsibility will be to conduct compliance assessments, a process involving five layers of review to evaluate how effectively Louisville Metro Police follows each part of the plan.
    Killian Baarlaer, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assess. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

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