An appraisal is a careful assessment of something's value, quality, or condition. When your parents buy a house, they usually get an appraisal from an expert who examines the property and determines what it's actually worth. An art museum might get an appraisal of a painting to find out if it's genuine and valuable, or just a clever fake.

A coach might give players an honest appraisal of their skills, pointing out strengths and weaknesses. A teacher's end-of-year comments offer an appraisal of your progress and effort.

An appraisal is more thorough than a quick guess or casual opinion. It involves really looking at something closely, thinking it through, and making an informed judgment. When you give something a critical appraisal, you're examining it carefully and fairly, considering all its aspects before forming a conclusion. The verb form is appraise: a jeweler might appraise a diamond ring, or you might appraise a used bicycle before deciding whether to buy it.