On this page13 sections
- Quick picker
- Appreciate = be grateful for
- Appreciate = value
- Appreciate = notice and give credit
- Appreciate = enjoy or admire
- Appreciate = understand or realise
- Appreciate = rise in value
- For emails and messages
- On a CV, résumé or in a reference
- Words for appreciation (the noun)
- Mistakes to avoid
- Practice
- Quick answers
The most common other words for appreciate are value, be grateful for, be thankful for, recognise and cherish. The right one depends on which of its four meanings you need: thanking someone (“I’m grateful for your help”), valuing something (“She values honesty”), understanding a situation (“I realise this is difficult”) or, in money, going up in value (“The house has risen in value”).
Below, the alternatives are grouped by those meanings, with an example for each, then a set for emails and CVs, words that are easy to misuse, and a short practice.
Quick picker
| You mean… | Try | Example |
|---|---|---|
| thank you for something | be grateful for, be thankful for, thank you for | I’m grateful for your patience. |
| think something is important or good | value, prize, treasure, cherish | We value your feedback. |
| notice and praise someone’s work | recognise, acknowledge, credit | The award recognises twenty years of service. |
| enjoy something because you understand it | enjoy, savour, relish, admire | You can savour the view from the top deck. |
| understand a fact or someone’s position | realise, understand, see, recognise | I realise you’re busy this week. |
| go up in price or value | rise in value, gain value, increase in value | Gold gained value during the crisis. |
Appreciate = be grateful for
This is the sense in “I appreciate your help” and “Thanks, I appreciate it”. These alternatives keep the thanks:
- be grateful for (neutral, works everywhere): “I’m grateful for the extra time.”
- be thankful for (slightly warmer; also used for luck or circumstances): “We’re thankful nobody was hurt.”
- thank you for: often the simplest and best replacement. “Thank you for covering my shift.”
- be obliged (formal or old-fashioned, British): “I’d be obliged if you could reply by Friday.”
- be indebted to (strong; you owe someone a lot): “I’m indebted to my supervisor for her advice.”
- owe someone one (informal): “Thanks for the lift, I owe you one.”
- mean a lot (personal): “Your message meant a lot to me.”
“Much appreciated” and “I really appreciate it” have their own set of replies and alternatives on our page of other ways to say much appreciated.
Appreciate = value
Here appreciate means you see the worth of something or someone.
- value: “The company values loyalty.”
- prize (value very highly; often passive): “These stamps are prized by collectors.”
- treasure (value something precious, often personal): “She treasures her grandmother’s letters.”
- cherish (value with love and care): “Cherish the time you have together.”
- hold dear (formal or emotional): “the freedoms we hold dear”
- respect (value someone’s qualities or choices): “I respect your decision.”
- think highly of / rate (British, informal): “Her colleagues think highly of her.” / “I really rate him as a coach.”
- set store by (consider important): “He sets great store by good manners.”
For words that say something matters, see another word for important.
Appreciate = notice and give credit
At work, “we appreciate your efforts” usually means “we see what you did and we are giving you credit for it”.
- recognise: “The prize recognises outstanding teachers.”
- acknowledge (say openly that something is true or deserves thanks): “I want to acknowledge the work of the night team.”
- give credit to / credit: “She credits her coach with her improvement.”
- commend (formal praise): “The report commends the staff for their quick response.”
- applaud (praise publicly): “We applaud the council’s decision.”
- pay tribute to (formal, often for someone leaving or who has died): “Colleagues paid tribute to her thirty years of service.”
For thank-you lines aimed at hard work, see other ways to say thank you for your efforts.
Appreciate = enjoy or admire
“To appreciate art” or “to appreciate good wine” means to enjoy it because you notice its qualities.
- enjoy: “You’ll enjoy the film more if you know the book.”
- savour (enjoy slowly; food, moments): “Savour the last week of the holidays.”
- relish (enjoy with enthusiasm, often a challenge): “She relishes a good argument.”
- admire (look at with approval; respect someone’s qualities): “We stopped to admire the bridge.”
- have a taste for / have an eye for: “He has an eye for good design.”
- be a fan of (informal): “I’m a big fan of her early albums.”
Appreciate = understand or realise
This sense is common in polite or formal English: “I appreciate that this is short notice” means “I understand it is short notice”. It often comes before that or how.
- realise: “I realise you have a lot on.”
- understand: “I understand that the decision was difficult.”
- recognise (accept as true): “We recognise that prices have gone up.”
- be aware: “I’m aware this isn’t ideal.”
- see (informal): “I see why you’re worried.”
- grasp (understand something complex): “Few people grasped how serious the problem was.”
- take into account / bear in mind (consider when deciding): “The plan takes into account the shorter days.”
Careful: in this sense, appreciate does not mean you agree or are happy. “I appreciate your concerns” can be a polite way to say “I’ve heard you” before saying no.
Appreciate = rise in value
In finance, property and collecting, appreciate is intransitive (no object) and means “become worth more”. Its opposite is depreciate.
- increase in value / rise in value: “Houses in the area have risen in value.”
- gain value / gain: “The pound gained against the dollar.”
- go up (informal): “Prices have gone up since spring.”
- strengthen (currencies): “The yen strengthened after the announcement.”
- grow (investments): “Their savings grew steadily.”
For emails and messages
“I appreciate it” and “I would appreciate it if…” are useful, but they appear in so many emails that a change helps. Some swaps:
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| I appreciate your help. | Thank you for your help. / I’m grateful for your help. |
| I would appreciate it if you could send the file. | Could you send the file, please? / I’d be grateful if you could send the file. |
| I appreciate your quick reply. | Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. |
| I appreciate that this is a busy time. | I know this is a busy time. / I realise this is a busy time. |
| Your feedback is appreciated. | We value your feedback. / Thank you for your feedback. |
| Thanks, appreciate it! (informal) | Thanks a lot! / Cheers! (British) / You’re a star. |
A reply to someone who has thanked you is a different job; see other ways to say my pleasure.
On a CV, résumé or in a reference
“Appreciated by management” says little. Name what happened instead:
- “Recognised with the regional service award (2025).”
- “Commended by the head of department for the new rota system.”
- “Valued by clients for clear, fast reporting.”
- In a reference: “Her colleagues think highly of her, and I would rate her among the best analysts I have managed.”
Words for appreciation (the noun)
- gratitude, thanks, thankfulness (for being grateful)
- recognition, acknowledgement, credit (for giving someone credit)
- admiration, respect, esteem (for valuing someone)
- understanding, awareness, grasp (for understanding: “a good grasp of the risks”)
- enjoyment, taste (for enjoying: “a taste for jazz”)
- rise in value, growth, capital gain (finance)
A gift given to say thank you has its own vocabulary on our page about a token of appreciation.
Mistakes to avoid
- “I appreciate for your help.” Appreciate takes a direct object: “I appreciate your help.” The for belongs to “grateful for” and “thank you for”.
- “I would appreciate if you could…” Add it: “I would appreciate it if you could…” Or switch to “I’d be grateful if you could…”.
- “I’m grateful to your help.” You are grateful to a person for a thing: “I’m grateful to Sam for his help.”
- Thankful vs grateful. Both work for thanks to a person, but thankful is also used for luck (“thankful it didn’t rain”); grateful is the safer choice in a formal thank-you.
- Cherish for small favours. “I cherish your quick reply” is far too strong. Keep cherish and treasure for people, memories and precious things.
- Depreciate vs deprecate. Depreciate is lose value; deprecate is disapprove of (or, in software, mark as outdated).
Practice
Choose the best word or phrase.
- I’d be ______ if you could reply by Monday. (grateful / cherished / relished)
- Our flat has ______ a lot in value since 2019. (risen / acknowledged / savoured)
- I ______ that you need more time, but the deadline is fixed. (realise / treasure / commend)
- She ______ her late father’s watch. (treasures / gains / is obliged)
- The head teacher ______ the pupils for raising money for the shelter. (commended / depreciated / grasped)
- Correct the sentence: “I would appreciate if you send me the agenda.”
Answers: 1 grateful; 2 risen; 3 realise; 4 treasures; 5 commended; 6 “I would appreciate it if you could send me the agenda.”
Quick answers
What is a formal word for appreciate?
Be grateful for, acknowledge, recognise and value all sound formal. “I would be grateful if…” is the usual formal request.
What is the opposite of appreciate?
It depends on the sense: take for granted or undervalue (not valuing), be ungrateful (not thankful), misunderstand (not realising), and depreciate (losing value).
What can I say instead of “I appreciate you”?
“Thank you for everything you do”, “I’m so grateful for you”, “You mean a lot to me”, or, more casually, “You’re the best.”
Is “appreciate it” correct on its own?
In speech and quick messages, “Appreciate it!” is normal and friendly. In formal writing use the full sentence: “I appreciate it” or “Thank you.”
For more everyday thanks with a smile, see funny ways to say thank you.