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

Eventually, she was revealed as a mutant, one of Marvel’s many symbolic outcasts, a cheap way to ameliorate her very particular fraught geopolitical status. —Darren Franich, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025

The author steers away from addressing self-help options for ameliorating the living conditions of Black Americans. —Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2025

Ultimately, what the San Francisco panelists all agreed on is the next steps should concentrate on how to better reduce the spread of H5N1 or any other serious viral event and how to ameliorate the devastating effects of post-infection inflammation. —Steve Brozak, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

That kind of dedicated team, which can help ameliorate the impact of disasters, comes only with the scale of a massive company like Walmart. —Booth Moore, WWD, 8 Jan. 2025

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