ameliorate

[ uh-meel-yuh-reyt, uh-mee-lee-uh- ]

/ əˈmil yəˌreɪt, əˈmi li ə- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ameliorate ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

ameds, ameer, ameerate, ameiosis, amelia, ameliorate, amelioration, ameloblast, ameloblastic fibroma, ameloblastic fibrosarcoma, ameloblastic layer

Also meliorate.

Origin of ameliorate

First recorded in 1760–70; a-⁵ + meliorate

SYNONYMS FOR ameliorate

amend, better. See improve.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ameliorate ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR ameliorate

worsen.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR ameliorate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

a·mel·io·ra·ble, adjectivea·mel·io·ra·ble·ness, nouna·mel·io·rant, nouna·mel·io·ra·tive, a·mel·io·ra·to·ry

[uh-meel-yer-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, uh-mee-lee-uh-] /əˈmil yər əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, əˈmi li ə-/, adjective

a·mel·io·ra·tor, nounun·a·mel·io·ra·ble, adjectiveun·a·mel·io·rat·ed, adjectiveun·a·mel·io·ra·tive, adjective

Can be confused

ameliorate obviate vitiate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ameliorative

He talked in a straightforward way with his villagers, reduced a number of rents and spent money freely in ameliorative work.
The Foundations of Japan|J.W. Robertson Scott
No ameliorative, no palliative, no restrictive, no remedial measure will avail.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells
There is among them a fine lite which responds to the appeal of the ideal and is found in every kind of ameliorative work.
The Old World in the New|Edward Alsworth Ross
Continuity of ameliorative effort is the sole enthusiasm that can serve the cause of improvement.
A Logic Of Facts|George Jacob Holyoake

A new Irish mind has now to be taken into account, and to be made part of any ameliorative Irish policy.
Ireland In The New Century|Horace Plunkett

British Dictionary definitions for ameliorative

ameliorate

/ (əˈmiːljəˌreɪt) /

verb

to make or become better; improve

Derived Forms

ameliorable (əˈmiːljərəbəl), adjectiveameliorant, nounameliorative, adjectiveameliorator, noun

Word 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

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