ameliorate
[ uh-meel-yuh-reyt, uh-mee-lee-uh- ]
/ əˈmil yəˌreɪt, əˈmi li ə- /
verb (used with or without object), a·mel·io·rat·ed, a·mel·io·rat·ing.
to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve: strategies to ameliorate negative effects on the environment.
Words nearby ameliorate
ameds, ameer, ameerate, ameiosis, amelia, ameliorate, amelioration, ameloblast, ameloblastic fibroma, ameloblastic fibrosarcoma, ameloblastic layer
Also meliorate.
OTHER WORDS FROM ameliorate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ameliorate
British Dictionary definitions for ameliorate
ameliorate
/ (əˈmiːljəˌreɪt) /
verb
to make or become better; improve
Derived forms of ameliorate
ameliorable (əˈmiːljərəbəl), adjectiveameliorant, nounameliorative, adjectiveameliorator, nounWord Origin for ameliorate
C18: from meliorate, influenced by French améliorer to improve, from Old French ameillorer to make better, from meillor better, from Latin melior
usage for ameliorate
Ameliorate is often wrongly used where alleviate is meant. Ameliorate is properly used to mean `improve', not `make easier to bear', so one should talk about alleviating pain or hardship, not ameliorating it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012