Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive & intransitive verb To make or become better; improve.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make better, or more tolerable, satisfactory, prosperous, etc.; improve; meliorate.
  • Synonyms Amend, Improve, Better, etc. See amend.
  • To grow better; meliorate.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To make better; to improve; to meliorate.
  • intransitive verb To grow better; to meliorate.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To make better, to improve; to heal; to solve a problem.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb to make better
  • verb get better

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of meliorate.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Influenced by French améliorer and Latin a- ("to") + melior ("better").

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Examples

  • Can activity ameliorate its slow advance - and maintain vocabulary retrieval skills, so that the word "ameliorate" leaps to mind when needed?

    NYT > Home Page By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS 2011

  • Can activity ameliorate its slow advance - and maintain vocabulary retrieval skills, so that the word "ameliorate" leaps to mind when needed?

    NYT > Home Page By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS 2011

  • The question for me is: will the execution of Hussein ameliorate or worsen the situation in Iraq in the short term and in the long run?

    Balkinization 2006

  • First World Series manager to ever use the word "ameliorate" in a press conference.

    Phillies rain on Rays early, defeat them very late 2008

  • Alexander's reign affected also the specific Jewish problem, which the homoeopathic reforms, designed to "ameliorate" a fraction of the Jewish people, had tried to solve in vain.

    History of the Jews in Russia and Poland. Volume II From the death of Alexander I. until the death of Alexander III. (1825-1894) I. [Translator] Friedlaender 1900

  • He and Washington lawyer Mike Carvin argued that the insurance requirement distorts the marketplace because it helps "ameliorate" the financial burden insurance companies will face once required to cover everyone - even people with pre-existing conditions.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • He and Washington lawyer Mike Carvin argued that the insurance requirement distorts the marketplace because it helps "ameliorate" the financial burden insurance companies will face once required to cover everyone - even people with pre-existing conditions.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • He and Washington lawyer Mike Carvin argued that the insurance requirement distorts the marketplace because it helps "ameliorate" the financial burden insurance companies will face once required to cover everyone - even people with pre-existing conditions.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • He and Washington lawyer Mike Carvin argued that the insurance requirement distorts the marketplace because it helps "ameliorate" the financial burden insurance companies will face once required to cover everyone - even people with pre-existing conditions.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • The judge noted that the one positive element in Byrne's case was that his counsel didn't attempt to "ameliorate" his position after conviction.

    ireland.com Breaking News 2010

Comments

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  • Also see: mitigate.

    November 18, 2007

  • v. to ameliorate (third-person singular simple present ameliorates, present participle ameliorating, simple past ameliorated, past participle ameliorated)

    (intransitive) To make better, to improve; to heal or solve a problem.

    They offered some compromises in an effort to ameliorate the disagreement.

    March 11, 2008

  • uh-meel-yuh-reyt :to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve; meliorate.

    September 30, 2009

  • Lovely word! I wrote a little something about it here.

    And this is the list of all words/phrases posted during that semester (by all participants).

    September 30, 2009

  • nice word

    September 18, 2011

  • just saw this word today http://m.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/06/silent_circle_private_email_expansion/ "None of them were serious, and all of them were fixed or ameliorated."

    April 6, 2013

  • verb: make something bad better

    "Three Cups of Tea" tells the story of western man who hopes to ameliorate poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan.

    October 19, 2016