ESTIMATE Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'estimate' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of estimate are appraise , assess , evaluate , rate , and value . While all these words mean "to judge something with respect to its worth or significance," 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

Q: Where would 'appraise' be a reasonable alternative to 'estimate'?

The words appraise and estimate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Q: When can 'assess' be used instead of 'estimate'?

While the synonyms assess and estimate are close in meaning, 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

Q: When might 'evaluate' be a better fit than 'estimate'?

While in some cases nearly identical to estimate , evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary. // evaluate a student's work

Q: How are the words 'rate' and 'estimate' related?

Rate adds to estimate the notion of placing a thing according to a scale of values. // a highly rated restaurant

Q: How do 'value' and 'appraise' relate to one another, in the sense of 'estimate'?

Value equals appraise but without implying expertness of judgment. // a watercolor valued by the donor at $500

estimate 1 of 2

verb

ˈe-stə-ˌmāt

Definition of estimate

as in to assess

to make an approximate or tentative judgment regarding experts estimated the value of the painting at a million dollars

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to calculate

to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement we estimated the snowfall to be about a foot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

estimate

2 of 2

noun

ˈe-stə-mət

as in estimation

the act of placing a value on the nature, character, or quality of something what we owe our war veterans is beyond estimate

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in assessment

an opinion on the nature, character, or quality of something the estimate of many art specialists that the painting is a fake

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb estimate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of estimate are appraise, assess, evaluate, rate, and value. While all these words mean "to judge something with respect to its worth or significance," 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

Where would appraise be a reasonable alternative to estimate?

The words appraise and estimate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 can assess be used instead of estimate?

While the synonyms assess and estimate are close in meaning, 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

When might evaluate be a better fit than estimate?

While in some cases nearly identical to estimate, evaluate suggests an attempt to determine relative or intrinsic worth in terms other than monetary.

evaluate a student's work

How are the words rate and estimate related?

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

a highly rated restaurant

How do value and appraise relate to one another, in the sense of estimate?

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 estimate

Verb

Craig Lake Fire The Craig Lake Fire is estimated at 605 acres and was 50% contained as of Wednesday evening. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Still, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Oscar Health estimated that 250,000 to 300,000 of its members might be disenrolled because of the CMS effort. — Julie Appleby, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026

Noun

For hobbyists, having the layout, material estimates, and potential trouble spots in one place helps make resin printing more approachable. — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026 The estimates could change again as PG&E monitors weather conditions. — Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for estimate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for estimate

Verb

Residents in central Gaza returned home to assess the damage caused by Israeli strikes after they had been warned to evacuate the day before.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
For Lev, assessing what participants take home means asking about their behavior.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of assess

Verb

Policymakers and advocates have proposed alternatives to the CPI-W for calculating the annual COLA.

— Lorie Konish, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
When the drone flies near an object and a whisker grazes or bends against a surface, the pressure changes at the base are measured in under two milliseconds, enabling the drone to calculate contact location and depth with millimeter precision.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of calculate

Noun

The needs assessment, due to CalRecycle by March 1, 2027, will map California’s existing textile collection, hauling, reuse, repair, recycling and disposal capacity.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
The label made viewers perceive less effort behind the work, which reduced their willingness to engage with the brand and lowered their assessments of product quality.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of assessment

Verb

ElevenLabs established itself as one of the most highly valued of those startups this month with a $300 million employee tender, at a $22 billion price tag.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
At the top end of the price range, Jio Platforms is valued at around $108 billion, much lower than previously expected.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of value

Verb

While the club also signed former Chief Justin Watson to the practice squad on Monday, Reid on Wednesday suggested Allen in particular will figure more in their plans now.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
All need to figure ways to get the ball to their star athletes on offense and prevent big plays on defense.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of figure

Noun

Next, Wealthfront will underwrite the loan and likely complete an appraisal and title search.

— Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
An appraisal obtained by the city found the land comparable to the Willowgrove development site in value, water availability and soil quality.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of appraisal

Noun

DeSantis did not provide a reason for stopping the execution but had temporarily stayed the execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation amid concerns about Thompson's mental competency and deteriorating health.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Before to Tuesday’s vote, CoC chair Ben Kay gave a recap of measures the board took to administer an impartial evaluation that scored the county higher than the city on handling homelessness issues.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of evaluation

Browse Nearby Words

estimable

estimate

estimated

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Style

“Estimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/estimate. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of estimate

verb

noun

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