How Do You Use the Expression “Greatly Appreciated”?

You’ve probably seen the phrases “greatly appreciated” or “highly appreciated” in written forms of communication. These two phrases mean almost the same thing—they express gratitude. However, there is a small difference between them. It can be a tricky expression for non-native speakers to grasp as it appears not to be complete on its own; it lacks some critical parts of speech that the rules of grammar tell us to make up a full sentence. In truth, it can be applied to multiple grammatical contexts and be correct in all of them.

So how do we go about understanding it — and then using it?

“Highly appreciated” and “greatly appreciated”: meaning

• “Highly appreciated” means that you are very thankful for something and it is important for you.
• “Greatly appreciated” means that you value what someone did, and it means a lot to you.

As email became a more prevalent form of contact, people developed a separate lexicon and glossary of conduct within it. Just as we alter our forms of speech when intersecting with peers versus parents versus authority figures, we switch languages between an email to a colleague and a text message to a significant other.

The “greatly appreciated” meaning tends to skew formal. While you might text, “Hey, I’d love it if you could pick up a gallon of milk on your way home,” in an email, you might opt for “Any feedback you could give me on this press release would be greatly appreciated.”

The phrasing is more impersonal and removed. In the above circumstance, it helps the recipient to understand that you yourself won’t be heartbroken if they don’t get back to you, but that their professional opinion would make a difference to you in a professional context if they have the time.

By now, the phrase is common enough to stand independently. However, if you feel you are still confused about these phrases, we invite you to check some more examples below or ask for help from an online English tutor on LiveXP.

Here are some more examples and variations:

“Can you proofread this for me? Would greatly appreciate it!”

“If you could do the department this favor it would be greatly appreciated.”

“Here’s the doc back with my comments.” “Thanks, greatly appreciated!”

Examples of using the “greatly appreciated” phrase:

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