to be grateful or thankful for: They appreciated his thoughtfulness.
–verb (used with object)
2.
to value or regard highly; place a high estimate on: to appreciate good wine.
3.
to be fully conscious of; be aware of; detect: to appreciate the dangers of a situation.
4.
to raise in value.
–verb (used without object)
5.
to increase in value: Property values appreciated yearly.
[Origin: 1645–55; < ML appreciātus valued, appraised, LL appretiātus (ptp. of appretiāre) appraised, equiv. to L ap-ap-1+ preti(um) price+ -ātus-ate1]
—Related forms
ap·pre·ci·at·ing·ly, adverb
ap·pre·ci·a·tor, noun
—Synonyms 2.Appreciate,esteem,prize,value imply holding something in high regard. To appreciate is to exercise wise judgment, delicate perception, and keen insight in realizing the worth of something. To esteem is to feel respect combined with a warm, kindly feeling. To value is to attach importance to a thing because of its worth (material or otherwise). To prize is to value highly and cherish.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to have a highly favorable opinion of someone or something. Appreciate applies especially to high regard based on critical assessment, comparison, and judgment: As immigrants, they appreciated their newfound freedom. Value implies high regard for the importance or worth of the object: "In principle, the modern university values . . . the free exchange of ideas . . ." (Eloise Salholz).
Prize often suggests pride of possession: "the nonchalance prized by teen-agers" (Elaine Louie).
Esteem implies respect: "If he had never esteemed my opinion before, he would have thought highly of me then" (Jane Austen).
Treasure and cherish stress solicitous care and affectionate regard: We treasure our freedom."They seek out the Salish Indian woman . . . to learn the traditions she cherishes" (Tamara Jones).
1655, "to esteem or value highly," from L.L. appretiatus pp. of appretiare "to set a price to" (see appraise). Meaning "to rise in value" (intr.) first recorded 1789. Appreciation "high estimation" is from 1650; meaning "expression of one's estimate of something" (usually favorable) is from 1858.
Ap*praise"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Appraised; p. pr. & vb. n. Appraising.] [Pref. ad- + praise. See Praise, Price, Apprize, Appreciate.]1. To set a value; to estimate the worth of, particularly by persons appointed for the purpose; as, to appraise goods and chattels. 2. To estimate; to conjecture. Enoch . . . appraised his weight. --Tennyson. 3. To praise; to commend. [Obs.] --R. Browning. Appraised the Lycian custom. --Tennyson. Note: In the United States, this word is often pronounced, and sometimes written, apprize.
Ap*pre"ci*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Appreciated; p. pr. & vb. n. Appreciating.] [L. appretiatus, p. p. of appretiare to value at a price, appraise; ad + pretiare to prize, pretium price. Cf. Appraise.]1. To set a price or value on; to estimate justly; to value. To appreciate the motives of their enemies. --Gibbon. 3. To raise the value of; to increase the market price of; -- opposed to depreciate. [U.S.] Lest a sudden peace should appreciate the money. --Ramsay. 4. To be sensible of; to distinguish. To test the power of bees to appreciate color. --Lubbock. Syn: To Appreciate, Estimate, Esteem. Usage: Estimate is an act of judgment; esteem is an act of valuing or prizing, and when applied to individuals, denotes a sentiment of moral approbation. See Estimate. Appreciate lies between the two. As compared with estimate, it supposes a union of sensibility with judgment, producing a nice and delicate perception. As compared with esteem, it denotes a valuation of things according to their appropriate and distinctive excellence, and not simply their moral worth. Thus, with reference to the former of these (delicate perception), an able writer says. "Women have a truer appreciation of character than men;" and another remarks, "It is difficult to appreciate the true force and distinctive sense of terms which we are every day using." So, also, we speak of the difference between two things, as sometimes hardly appreciable. With reference to the latter of these (that of valuation as the result of a nice perception), we say, "It requires a peculiar cast of character to appreciate the poetry of Wordsworth;" "He who has no delicacy himself, can not appreciate it in others;" "The thought of death is salutary, because it leads us to appreciate worldly things aright." Appreciate is much used in cases where something is in danger of being overlooked or undervalued; as when we speak of appreciating the difficulties of a subject, or the risk of an undertaking. So Lord Plunket, referring to an "ominous silence" which prevailed among the Irish peasantry, says, "If you knew how to appreciate that silence, it is more formidable than the most clamorous opposition." In like manner, a person who asks some favor of another is apt to say, "I trust you will appreciate my motives in this request." Here we have the key to a very frequent use of the word. It is hardly necessary to say that appreciate looks on the favorable side of things. we never speak of appreciating a man's faults, but his merits. This idea of regarding things favorably appears more fully in the word appreciative; as when we speak of an appreciative audience, or an appreciative review, meaning one that manifests a quick perception and a ready valuation of excellence.
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