ameliorate

verb

ame·​lio·​rate ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrāt 

-ˈmē-lē-ə-

ameliorated; ameliorating

transitive verb

: to make better or more tolerable

medicine to ameliorate the pain

intransitive verb

: to grow better

amelioration

ə-ˌmēl-yə-ˈrā-shən 

-ˌmē-lē-ə-

noun

ameliorative

ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrā-tiv 

-ˈmē-lē-ə-

adjective

ameliorator

ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

amelioratory

ə-ˈmēl-yə-rə-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Did you know?

Ameliorate traces back to melior, a Latin adjective meaning "better," and is a rather formal synonym of the verbs better and improve. When is it better to use ameliorate? Allow us to improve your understanding: if a situation is bad, ameliorate indicates that the conditions have been made more tolerable. Thus, one might refer to medicine that ameliorates pain from an injury, a loss of wages ameliorated by unemployment benefits, or a harsh law ameliorated by special exceptions. Improve and better apply when something bad is getting better or being made better (as in "the weather improved" or "she bettered her lot in life"), and they should always be chosen over ameliorate when something good is getting better still ("he improved his successful program," "she bettered her impressive scores").

Synonyms

• amend
• better
• enhance
• enrich
• help
• improve
• meliorate
• perfect
• refine
• upgrade

Choose the Right Synonym for ameliorate

improve, better, help, ameliorate mean to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard.

improve and better are general and interchangeable and apply to what can be made better whether it is good or bad.

measures to further improve the quality of medical care

immigrants hoping to better their lot

help implies a bettering that still leaves room for improvement.

a coat of paint would help that house

ameliorate implies making more tolerable or acceptable conditions that are hard to endure.

tried to ameliorate the lives of people in the tenements

Examples of ameliorate in a Sentence

The disparate impact of the risk imposed by the "loser pays" rule can be ameliorated. Indeed, there are features of the British legal system which have led some observers to find the rule … to be considerably more benign to poorer litigants. —Edward F. Sherman, Texas Law Review, June 1998

And, after all, some illnesses are psychogenic. Many can be at least ameliorated by a positive cast of mind. —Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996

trying to ameliorate the suffering of people who have lost their jobs

This medicine should help ameliorate the pain.

Recent Examples on the Web

Experts in the industry are starting to realize that China’s advantage in energy and land could help ameliorate China’s lag in chip development. —Grace Shao, Fortune Asia, 10 Oct. 2024

Policymakers are questioning many of the fundamental ideas that once guided American policy, including the convergence of economic and political goals, the value of engagement, and the idea that cooperation can ameliorate competition and produce stability. —Evan Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2021

The fortitude, wisdom, and humanity of Hurley’s later-season characterization helped ameliorate the writing’s earlier efforts to undermine him—although these developments didn’t undo that history. —Rebecca Bodenheimer, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024

Over the last five years, the state government has spent some $24 billion to ameliorate homelessness, which, according to polls, is California’s most troublesome issue. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration (after French améliorer) of meliorate

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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Kids Definition

ameliorate

verb

ame·​lio·​rate ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrāt 

ameliorated; ameliorating

: to make or grow better or more tolerable

amelioration

-ˌmēl-yə-ˈrā-shən 

-ˌmē-lē-ə-

noun

ameliorative

-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrāt-iv 

-ˈmē-lē-ə-

adjective