Meaning & use
appreciation
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Meanings
noununcountable
Recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.
Grammar: Uncountable; commonly followed by 'of' or 'for'.
Patterns
- an appreciation of something
- show appreciation
- gain an appreciation of something
Reading widely gave her an appreciation of many cultures.
The audience showed its appreciation with long applause.
noununcountable
A feeling of gratitude or thanks for help, kindness, or a benefit received.
Grammar: Uncountable; common frames are 'express appreciation to someone' and 'in appreciation of'.
Patterns
- express appreciation to someone
- in appreciation of something
- a token of appreciation
We sent flowers in appreciation of their hard work.
He nodded to show his appreciation for the ride.
noununcountablefinance
An increase in the value of money, property, or goods over time.
Grammar: Uncountable; common with 'capital' and with 'of' naming the asset.
Patterns
- capital appreciation
- the appreciation of a currency
- property appreciation
The appreciation of the house over ten years doubled their investment.
Rapid appreciation of the currency made the country's exports pricier.
Common combinations
- express appreciation
- We expressed our appreciation with a thank-you card.
- in appreciation of
- The concert was held in appreciation of local teachers.
- a token of appreciation
- She gave the nurse a small gift as a token of appreciation.
- capital appreciation
- Investors hope for capital appreciation over five years.
- gain an appreciation of
- Volunteering gave him an appreciation of how clinics work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gratitude
- Matches only the thanks sense; appreciation is broader and also covers recognizing value.
- recognition
- Fits sense 1 when value is publicly acknowledged, but lacks the enjoyment that appreciation suggests.
- thanks
- Informal and brief; appreciation is warmer and often deeper or more formal.
Opposites
Word family
- appreciate verb
- To recognize the value of something, be grateful, or rise in value.
- appreciative adjective
- Feeling or showing gratitude or recognition.
- appreciatively adverb
- In a grateful or admiring way.
Commonly confused: appreciation or depreciation? appreciation or appraisal?
appreciation vs depreciation
Depreciation is the opposite financial sense, a fall in value over time; appreciation in finance means a rise.
appreciation vs appraisal
An appraisal is a formal judgment of value or performance; appreciation adds a feeling of gratitude that appraisal does not have.
Practice
They showed their appreciation ___ the volunteers by baking them a cake.
Choose one answer.
When appreciation means gratitude, the standard pattern is appreciation for someone or something. 'Of' is used for recognizing qualities, as in 'an appreciation of music', so it does not fit this gratitude sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “appreciation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.