Synonyms of improve

improve

verb

im-ˈprüv 

as in to enhance

to make better

a little salt would improve this bland food

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word improve distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of improve are ameliorate, better, and help. While all these words 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

When is it sensible to use ameliorate instead of improve?

Although the words ameliorate and improve have much in common, ameliorate implies making more tolerable or acceptable conditions that are hard to endure.

tried to ameliorate the lives of people in the tenements

When would help be a good substitute for improve?

While the synonyms help and improve are close in meaning, help implies a bettering that still leaves room for improvement.

a coat of paint would help that house

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of improve

Nicely tightening and endlessly quenching, the formula helps improve elasticity, soften fine lines, and leaves skin feeling comfier, bouncier, and deeply nourished with continued AM and PM use. —Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 3 Mar. 2025

The purpose of the economy is no longer to improve household incomes and expand the middle class, Gunter said. —TIME, 3 Mar. 2025

Now 18-7 in 2025, the Pacers improved their home record to 19-10. —Phillip B. Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2025

Hundreds of studies have found that Medicaid expansion has improved access to care and the health of the people who gained coverage, while reducing mortality and bolstering state economies, among other positive outcomes. —Nicole Huberfeld, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025