ameliorate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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ameliorates,
present (3rd person singular)
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ameliorated,
past participle, past
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ameliorating
present participle
verb
Usage
What are other ways to say ameliorate?
To ameliorate is to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory. How is it different from the verbs improve and better? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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ameliorablenessnoun
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ameliorantnoun
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amelioratornoun
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ameliorableadjective
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ameliorativeadjective
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amelioratoryadjective
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unameliorableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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amelioratesimple
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amelioratessimple
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have amelioratedperfect
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has amelioratedperfect
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am amelioratingprogressive
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are amelioratingprogressive
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is amelioratingprogressive
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have been amelioratingperfect progressive
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has been amelioratingperfect progressive
Past
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amelioratedsimple
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had amelioratedperfect
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was amelioratingprogressive
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were amelioratingprogressive
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had been amelioratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ameliorate
Explanation
To ameliorate is to step in and make a bad situation better. You could try introducing a second lollipop to ameliorate a battle between two toddlers over a single lollipop. The verb ameliorate comes from the Latin word meliorare, meaning “improve.” Food drives can ameliorate hunger. An air conditioner can ameliorate the discomfort of a stiflingly hot summer day. A sympathy card can ameliorate grief. Family therapy can ameliorate severe sibling rivalry. Anything that can lift a burden or make something better can ameliorate.
Vocabulary lists containing ameliorate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "A"
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The Crucible
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Frankenstein
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Vatican has tried to mediate between Washington and Havana, dissuade the U.S. from using force and ameliorate an economic crisis compounded this year by a U.S. oil blockade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Bringing Keller and Knight onstage somewhat sweetened the awkward position in which the show placed Storrie, but it doesn’t entirely ameliorate the White House’s intrusion into both hockey teams’ Olympic glory.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
Ideally, Owens and Erika Kirk could find alignment, and ameliorate some of Owens’ more looney ideas.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
While the loss of a player like Thompson would hurt Angel City on the field, the likely seven-figure transfer fee would help ameliorate that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
The accused have told me and their counsel have told me that the accused who were all leaders of the non-European population were motivated entirely by a desire to ameliorate these grievances.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"Overall, greater international co-operation is needed to ensure that ESG and climate transition-related practices progress in a manner that ameliorates the current market fragmentation, and strengthens investor confidence and market integrity."
From Reuters ● Oct. 4, 2021
Exercise improves cardiac health, reduces the risk of cancer, and ameliorates anxiety and depression.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2021
This level of fascination blocks any competing thoughts or worries from bubbling to the surface and allows for a quiet focus that not only ameliorates anxiety but benefits us cognitively as well.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2020
Charity, while wonderful, ameliorates the symptoms of inequality, but it does not address its root causes.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 27, 2020
You forget I have seen the hapless swine of Phobetor, and I know how he ameliorates the natural ferocity of his boar-pigs.
From Jurgen A Comedy of Justice by James Branch Cabell
On that, Buchbinder is optimistic that a key cause of rising rates, higher energy costs, will be ameliorated in coming months.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
The 40-foot elevation drop from the General Hospital forecourt to the commercial hub will be ameliorated by raising the low area about 20 feet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
The deceit is either ameliorated or worsened by the obvious unreliability of Thomas’s testimony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
But Americans should not expect that all this can be ameliorated, much less erased.
From Salon ● May 1, 2025
When I began work at the bank I knew that much of their suffering would be ameliorated.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
The $3 million allocation is the first major assistance directed toward ameliorating the spiraling humanitarian crisis since people first began arriving at the church last December.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 6, 2023
To establish its functional roles for ameliorating constipation in humans, the researchers used a clinical trial and a human-to-mouse fecal microbiota transplantation experiment in combination with metagenomics and metabolomics.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2023
While ameliorating climate change is a big advantage of getting rid of cars, it is hardly the only reason to do so.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2023
Although it was burning in the scar of the 2008 Cedar fire, that took place too long ago to have any ameliorating effect on its behavior, Freeman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2021
She had a notion about the air down here and its ameliorating effects on the circulation.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
