apprised

Apprised is the past participle and common adjectival form of the verb apprise, meaning to inform or notify someone about something. In usage, it often appears in formal or written contexts with a sense of timely or official information. Examples include “We were apprised of the changes” and “The board was apprised of the risks.” The phrase “keep me apprised” is a frequent idiom, as in “Please keep me apprised of any developments.” When describing the content of the information, the preposition of is typically used: “apprise someone of something.”

Etymology and usage notes: Apprise comes from Old French or Middle English roots connected with the idea of learning or being informed, and it entered English in the sense of informing. The term tends to be more common in formal, legal, corporate, or administrative writing than in casual speech, where more everyday verbs like inform or notify are common.

Related terms and distinctions: Apprise is distinct from appraise, which means to evaluate or assess value. Although they look and sound similar, their meanings are unrelated. Apprised can function as a predicate adjective (“We are apprised of the situation”) or as part of a passive construction (“We were apprised of the decision”). The phrase “to keep someone apprised” emphasizes ongoing updates, rather than a one-time notification.