appreciation

appreciation — noun

1. the warm feeling you have toward someone when they have helped you or done somet

1.nounB2
Definition

the warm feeling you have toward someone when they have helped you or done something kind, often shown through thanks, a gift, or a card.

Example

Noa sent her piano teacher flowers as a small token of appreciation.

token of appreciation — common collocation for a thank-you gift

The team baked a cake for Mr. Lee in appreciation of his twenty years of service.

in appreciation of + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • token of appreciation
  • show appreciation
  • express appreciation
  • in appreciation of
Synonyms
  • gratitude

    stronger and more formal; centres on the feeling of being thankful itself

  • thanks

    more everyday; usually plural and used in spoken language

  • recognition

    emphasises publicly acknowledging someone's effort rather than personal warmth

Antonyms
  • ingratitude

    formal opposite — failing to feel or show thanks

Grammar Patterns

appreciation for something

appreciation of something

in appreciation of something

Usage Note

Often appears in fixed thank-you phrases: 'as a token of appreciation', 'in appreciation of', and 'show/express appreciation for'. Distinguish from sense 2: gratitude is felt toward a person or favour; sense 2 is about valuing the qualities of art, food, work, etc.

Common Mistakes

I have appreciation to my parents.
I have appreciation for my parents.
use 'for' before the person or thing you are thankful for, not 'to'.

2. the ability to notice and enjoy the good qualities of art, music, food, or ideas

2.nounB2
Definition

the ability to notice and enjoy the good qualities of art, music, food, or ideas, or to fully grasp how serious or complex a situation really is.

Example

Pia developed a deep appreciation of jazz after spending a summer in New Orleans.

appreciation of + art form / cultural object

Living in Kyoto gave Daniel a real appreciation for slow, careful cooking.

appreciation for + activity or craft

Common collocations
  • deep appreciation
  • fuller appreciation
  • appreciation of art
  • appreciation of music
Synonyms
  • understanding

    broader; covers both feelings and pure intellectual grasp

  • awareness

    lighter — knowing something exists, without the depth implied by appreciation

  • enjoyment

    focuses on the pleasure side without the careful judgement of quality

Antonyms
  • ignorance

    complete lack of awareness or understanding

  • indifference

    knowing about something but not caring about its value

Grammar Patterns

appreciation of something

appreciation for something

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person who has gained insight; object is usually art, food, nature, or a complex problem. Distinguish from sense 1 (GRATITUDE): here no thanks is given — the focus is on understanding or enjoyment, not on a kind act received.

Common Mistakes

She has a big appreciation about modern art.
She has a deep appreciation of modern art.
use 'of' (or 'for') with this sense, and 'deep / great / fuller' rather than 'big'.

3. a rise in how much a house, currency, share, or similar asset is worth on the ma

3.nounC1
Definition

a rise in how much a house, currency, share, or similar asset is worth on the market over time.

Example

Homeowners in the district enjoyed steady appreciation in property prices over the last decade.

appreciation in + property / prices

The yen's recent appreciation against the dollar has made Japanese exports more expensive.

appreciation against + currency

Common collocations
  • capital appreciation
  • currency appreciation
  • appreciation in value
  • sharp appreciation
Synonyms
  • increase

    general word; needs 'in value' to match this sense

  • rise

    everyday equivalent; less formal than appreciation

  • growth

    broader — covers size or output as well as price

Antonyms
  • depreciation

    direct opposite — fall in market value over time

Grammar Patterns

appreciation in something

appreciation of something

Usage Note

Frequent in finance and real-estate writing; collocates with 'capital appreciation', 'currency appreciation', and 'appreciation in value'. Distinguish from senses 1 and 2: here the subject is a thing (asset, currency), not a feeling, and the meaning is purely financial.

Common Mistakes

The house had a big appreciation last year.
The house showed strong appreciation in value last year.
pair with 'in value / in price' and use 'strong / sharp / steady' rather than 'big'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a positive response to someone's help, but they differ in weight and setting. 'Thanks' is the everyday word — short, spoken, and used many times a day ('Thanks for the ride'). 'Appreciation' is warmer and more considered; it suggests you have stopped to think about how much the kindness mattered, and it pairs naturally with concrete tokens: cards, gifts, speeches. 'Gratitude' is the strongest and most formal — a deep, lasting feeling, often used in writing or in serious moments ('I will always feel gratitude toward the nurses who saved her'). 'Recognition' shifts the focus outward: it is public acknowledgement of effort, often by an organisation, and may carry no warmth at all ('the award is recognition of her research'). So a quick 'thanks' becomes 'a small token of appreciation' becomes 'lifelong gratitude' becomes 'formal recognition' as the feeling grows deeper or the setting becomes more public.

appreciation ↗gratitude ↗thanks ↗recognition ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • show appreciation
  • express appreciation
  • in appreciation of
  • a token of appreciation
  • lack of appreciation
  • gain an appreciation of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinLate LatinFrenchEnglish

Appreciation entered English in the 1600s from Late Latin 'appretiationem', a noun form built on the verb 'appretiare', meaning 'to set a price on'. That verb itself came from 'ad-' (to) plus 'pretium' (price), the same root that gives English 'price' and 'precious'. The word's earliest English use was the financial one — judging the worth of something — and the modern 'rise in value' sense (sense 3) is a direct descendant of that. The 'understanding the qualities of' sense (sense 2) grew out of the same idea of weighing worth, but applied to art, food, and ideas. The warm 'thankful feeling' sense (sense 1) developed last, in the 1800s, as people moved from valuing a thing to valuing what someone had done for them.