ameliorate
[ uh-meel-yuh-reyt, uh-mee-lee-uh- ]
/ əˈmil yəˌreɪt, əˈmi li ə- /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Also meliorate .
OTHER WORDS FROM ameliorate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences 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