English Reference

Word

evaluate

Phoneticseval·u·ate

US/iˈvæɫjuˌeɪt/

UK/ɪvˈæljuːˌeɪt/

Definitions

01to assess or judge

B2

v. to carefully judge the quality, importance, or value of something.

v. to determine the significance, worth, or condition of something by careful appraisal and study. Transitive — requires a direct object.

“The committee needs to evaluate all the job applications before making a final decision.”

“The researchers spent several months evaluating the long-term impact of the new policy on local businesses before publishing their findings.”

Academic

Usage

Often used with adverbs like 'carefully', 'thoroughly', or 'objectively'.

Synonyms

assessappraisejudgerate

Antonyms

02to calculate a value

C1 · Math

v. to find the numerical answer or result of a mathematical problem or computer command.

v. to calculate the numerical value of an expression or to execute a command to return a result. Can be used transitively for the action or intransitively for the result.

“You need to evaluate the expression inside the brackets first.”

“The software is designed to evaluate complex algorithms in real-time, providing immediate feedback to the engineering team.”

Technical

Usage

In computing, an expression is said to 'evaluate to' a specific value.

Real-World Examples

“It's about the ability to reason, evaluate evidence and make informed decisions in a complex, changing world.”
Phys.org · 17 Aug 2026
“Such systems can evaluate multiple inputs at once while making decisions informed by previous experiences and future priorities.”
ScienceDaily · 17 Aug 2026
“Learning, attention, and working memory were evaluated using the CogState test battery.”
ScienceDaily · 17 Aug 2026
“The first is to evaluate levels of disease in a community.”
The Conversation · 10 Aug 2026

Etymology

Back-formation from evaluation.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Collocations

evaluate the evidenceevaluated usingcritically evaluateevaluate contributionevaluate differenceevaluate effectevaluate effectivenessevaluate hypothesis

Word family

evaluateVerbevaluationNoun

Domains

ComputingMathematicsProgramming

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/evaluate

English Reference