threat appraisal.

The assessment of how dangerous a situation seems and how likely one is to be harmed by it.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• threat appraisal process
• heightened threat appraisal
• revise a threat appraisal

On the page

His threat appraisal changed when he learned that the smoke was theatrical.

The study examined threat appraisal rather than assuming everyone perceived the same danger.

A familiar route reduced her threat appraisal of the journey.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. Established psychology term, not an objective danger measurement; fear depends partly on interpretation. Distinct from coping appraisal, which concerns available responses. Count noun. Count plural: threat appraisals.