assessment

noun

as·sess·ment ə-ˈses-mənt

Synonyms of assessment next

: the action or an instance of making a judgment about something : the act of assessing something : appraisal

assessment of damages

an assessment of the president's achievements

: the amount assessed : an amount that a person is officially required to pay especially as a tax

the tax assessment on property

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History of Assessment

Assessment has two meanings (“an amount that a person is officially required to pay” and “the act of making a judgment about something”) so distinct that one might rightfully wonder if they come from different sources. They do not.

Both are derived from related senses of assess, a verb that for over 500 years has meant “to determine the rate or amount of (a tax).” The monetary sense of assessment is tied to this oldest use of assess. By the 19th century, the verb’s object shifted slightly to produce a new meaning, “to make an official valuation of (property) for the purposes of taxation.” It was but a short step from here to the broadened sense “to make a judgment about” that is the basis of assessment “the act of making a judgment.”

Examples of assessment in a Sentence

It's a difficult problem that requires careful assessment. I don't agree with his assessment of the problem. The owners claimed the tax assessment on their house was too high.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Without this context, the accuracy of risk assessments is undermined. —

Philip Caldwell, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2025 Although today they are not required to demonstrate this in an in-depth way, and caps on entry are not based on any sort of labor market needs assessment. —

Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025 Key question: Are these assessments fines (criminal) or taxes (civil)? —

William Baldwin, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025 Larson added the non-profit will conduct health assessments of the animals over the next couple of days to determine their readiness for adoption. —

Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for assessment