extrinsic value

Extrinsic value is worth that comes from outside the thing itself—from circumstances, context, or consequences rather than inherent qualities.

A dollar bill has extrinsic value: the paper is nearly worthless, but what it can buy gives it worth.

In finance, an option's extrinsic value is the premium beyond its intrinsic value, reflecting time remaining and volatility.

Philosophers contrast extrinsic value with intrinsic value—what's valuable for its own sake versus what's valuable as a means to something else.