Synonyms of ameliorate

ameliorate

verb

ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrāt 

as in to improve

to make better

social legislation that must be given credit for ameliorating the lot of millions of deprived people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• improve
• enhance
• remedy
• remediate
• better
• help
• enrich
• refine
• amend
• upgrade
• perfect
• meliorate
• reinforce
• rectify
• intensify
• strengthen
• correct
• rehabilitate
• reform
• revise
• refurbish
• fine-tune
• fortify
• boost
• reenforce
• rework
• edit
• emend
• revamp
• fine
• polish
• hone
• beef (up)
• redraft
• rehab
• retouch
• touch up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• worsen
• impair
• harm
• hurt
• damage
• injure
• reduce
• vitiate
• tarnish
• spoil
• diminish
• lessen
• flaw
• blight
• disfigure
• mar
• deface
• lower
• endamage
• blemish

Synonym Chooser

How is the word ameliorate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of ameliorate are better, help, and improve. While all these words mean "to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard," ameliorate implies making more tolerable or acceptable conditions that are hard to endure.

tried to ameliorate the lives of people in the tenements

When is help a more appropriate choice than ameliorate?

The meanings of help and ameliorate largely overlap; however, help implies a bettering that still leaves room for improvement.

a coat of paint would help that house

How are the words improve and better related as synonyms of ameliorate?

Both 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ameliorate

More than 95 percent of industrially useful rare-earth metals are produced by China, creating supply-chain and national-security vulnerabilities that the U.S. and other countries have been attempting to ameliorate for more than a decade. —IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2025

Higher tariffs — including ones consistent with Trump’s announced plans — might ameliorate this problem by raising prices and discouraging consumption. —Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

In 1965, Medicare ameliorated the old-age fear of medical bankruptcy. —Jonathan Rauch, The Atlantic, 10 Dec. 2024

However, there are still steps that can be taken to ameliorate the problem. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025

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