Evaluate

/ɪˈvæljueɪt/

verbmediumVery CommonLegal

Definitions

1

To judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of something or someone.

/ɪˈvæljueɪt/

verbneutralmedium
Legal

To form an idea of the amount, number, or value of; assess.

The teacher will evaluate your essay based on clarity and content.

💡 Simply: It's like when you look at something and decide how good or important it is. For instance, you might evaluate how yummy a slice of pizza is or how helpful a new app is.

👶 For kids: To figure out how good or important something is.

More Examples

2

We need to evaluate the risks before investing.

3

The committee will evaluate the candidates' qualifications.

How It's Used

Business

"The company's performance is evaluated quarterly."

Education

"Teachers evaluate student's work to assign grades."

Scientific Research

"Scientists evaluate the data to form their conclusions."

Idioms & expressions

self-evaluate

To assess one's own performance or work.

"Employees are encouraged to self-evaluate their performance each quarter."

From French évaluer, from Old French esvaluer, from a Vulgar Latin *exvaluare, from Latin ex- (out) + valere (to be worth).

The word 'evaluate' became increasingly common in the 19th century, particularly in academic and scientific contexts, alongside the rise of formal assessment methods.

Memory tip

Imagine you are giving a thumbs up or down – you're evaluating!

evaluteevalauteevaliatevaluat

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written