Meaning & use
evaluator
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person whose job is to judge the quality, worth, or performance of a person, program, or product.
Grammar: Countable: the evaluator wrote a report.
Patterns
- an evaluator of something
An outside evaluator reviewed the training program.
The evaluator observed each class for an hour.
Grant evaluators look for clear goals.
nouncountablecomputing
A tool or program that works out the value or result of something, such as an expression in code.
Grammar: Used in computing: an expression evaluator.
Patterns
- an evaluator for something
The calculator uses an expression evaluator to solve formulas.
This evaluator checks each rule in turn.
We wrote a simple evaluator for the script.
Word forms
| plural | evaluators |
|---|
Common combinations
- independent evaluator
- An independent evaluator assessed the project.
- trained evaluator
- Each trained evaluator scored the essays.
- program evaluator
- The program evaluator visited every site.
- external evaluator
- The school hired an external evaluator.
- expression evaluator
- The expression evaluator returned the answer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- assessor
- Assessor is common in education and insurance and often means a formal judge of a set standard.
- reviewer
- Reviewer suggests reading and commenting on work, such as a book or paper.
- examiner
- Examiner tests knowledge, usually in exams.
- appraiser
- Appraiser estimates the money value of an item such as a house.
Word family
- evaluate verb
- to judge the quality or value of something
- evaluation noun
- the process or result of judging
- evaluative adjective
- involving judgment of value
- reevaluate verb
- to judge again
Commonly confused: evaluator or valuator?
evaluator vs valuator
Valuator is a rarer word for someone who sets a money value. Evaluator is broader and covers quality as well as price.
Practice
Who would an organization hire as an evaluator?
Choose one answer.
An evaluator judges quality and results. The others describe unrelated jobs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “evaluator”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.