better
1 Americanadjective
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of superior quality or excellence.
a better coat; a better speech.
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morally superior; more virtuous.
They are no better than thieves.
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of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness, etc.; preferable.
a better time for action.
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larger; greater.
the better part of a lifetime.
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improved in health; healthier than before.
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completely recovered in health.
adverb
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in a more appropriate or acceptable way or manner.
to behave better.
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to a greater degree; more completely or thoroughly.
He knows the way better than we do. I probably know him better than anyone else.
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more.
I walked better than a mile to town.
verb (used with object)
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betters,
present (3rd person singular)
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bettered,
past participle, past
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bettering
present participle
noun
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that which has greater excellence or is preferable or wiser.
the better of two choices.
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Usually betters those superior to one in wisdom, wealth, etc.
idioms
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better off,
-
in better circumstances.
-
more fortunate; happier.
Because of his asthma, he would be better off in a different climate.
-
-
go (someone) one better, to exceed the effort of; be superior to.
The neighbors went us one better by buying two new cars.
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get / have the better of,
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to get an advantage over.
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to prevail against.
-
-
better oneself, to improve one's social standing, financial position, or education.
He is going to night school because he wants to better himself.
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for the better, in a way that is an improvement.
His health changed for the better.
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had better, would be wiser or more well-advised to; ought to.
We had better stay indoors today.
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think better of,
-
to reconsider and decide more favorably or wisely regarding.
I was tempted to make a sarcastic retort, but thought better of it.
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to form a higher opinion of.
I think better of him now that he's gone back to college.
-
-
no better than one should be, morally inferior; immoral or amoral.
Don't speak to him; he's no better than he should be!
noun
adjective
-
the comparative of good
-
more excellent than other members of a particular group, category, etc
-
more suitable, advantageous, attractive, etc
-
improved in health
-
fully recovered in health
-
in more favourable circumstances, esp financially
-
in more favourable circumstances, esp financially
-
a large part of
the better part of a day
adverb
-
the comparative of well 1
-
in a more excellent manner; more advantageously, attractively, etc
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in or to a greater degree or extent; more
she is better loved than her sister
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(Brit intr; US tr) to outdo (a person) or improve upon (someone else's effort)
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would be wise, sensible, etc to
I had better be off
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not to be so stupid as to
-
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to change one's course of action after reconsideration
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to rate (a person) more highly
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noun
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something that is the more excellent, useful, etc, of two such things
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(usually plural) a person who is superior, esp in social standing or ability
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improved as a result of
-
more suitable to
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whatever the subsequent events or changes may be
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by way of improvement
a change for the better
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to defeat, outwit, or surpass
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having recovered from
I'm not the better of it yet
verb
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to make or become better
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(tr) to improve upon; surpass
noun
Usage
What is a basic definition of better? Better is an adjective that describes something as being superior or is an adverb that means something is done to a higher degree or more completely. As a verb, better means to improve. The word better has more specific senses as an adjective, adverb, and a verb. As an adjective, the word better is a comparative of the word good, with the superlative being best. This means that if something is better, it is “more good” than something else but might be “less good” than something that is best. For example, in the Olympic Games a bronze medal is good, a silver medal is better, and a gold medal is the best you can get. Because better is a comparative, you must be comparing two things or conditions when using it.
- Real-life examples: An A is a better grade than a B on a test. Most people would agree that a spoonful of cinnamon has a better taste than a spoonful of cough medicine. A racer who finishes first is a better driver than all of the other racers.
- Used in a sentence: I think a puppy is a better pet for a kid than a snake.
- Used in a sentence: I was throwing up all morning, but I am better now.
- Real-life examples: A chess master will play chess better than someone who has never played at all. Some students learn better than others. You read articles like this one to learn how to use words better.
- Used in a sentence: He can draw well, but I know that I can draw better (than he can).
- Used in a sentence: Laurel took the time to better herself as a business owner.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bettersimple
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betterssimple
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have betteredperfect
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has betteredperfect
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am betteringprogressive
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are betteringprogressive
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is betteringprogressive
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have been betteringperfect progressive
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has been betteringperfect progressive
Past
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betteredsimple
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had betteredperfect
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was betteringprogressive
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were betteringprogressive
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had been betteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of better1
First recorded before 900; Middle English bettre, Old English bet(te)ra; cognate with Old High German bezziro ( German besser ), Dutch beter, Old Norse betr, Gothic batiza, equivalent to bat- (cognate with Old High German baz (adverb) “better”; akin to boot 2 ) + -iza comparative suffix; see best
Origin of better2
Explanation
Something better is improved — like when a more advanced computer comes out, or you feel better after a cold. When we talk about things being better, we're comparing in a favorable way. A great movie is better than a good or awful movie. With practice, you will get better at a sport or a subject like math. Doctors help patients feel better, and mechanics make a car run better. If 51% or more of the people voted for you, then you had the support of better than half the people. When things are getting better, they're improving.
Vocabulary lists containing better
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:
Under Mao Zedong, the communist revolutionary who founded the People’s Republic in 1949 and ruled China until his death in 1976, faith was classified as feudal superstition—in the party’s view, no better than fortunetelling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
A patient version of the guidelines has also been developed to help people better understand their condition and participate more confidently in shared decisions with their healthcare providers.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
For such a shy boy, when I had to do the big number, “If I Only Had a Heart,” it went to another level, better than rehearsal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
And, perhaps most importantly, why do we, as a culture, continually stand in the way of our own edification, removing the possibility to understand each other better under the guise of progress?
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
With each burst of breath, I feel better.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Now, 12 years and many political lifetimes later, they read as quaint and out-of-touch, like a grandfather telling his grandson to never contradict his betters.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
That’s a sign that betters don’t see the feud with the U.S. as slowing an IPO.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
His betters resented Duchamp’s attempt at depicting movement and judged the title vulgar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
This week: Polymarket teamed up with the Golden Globes, displaying a live ticker for betters on the broadcast.
From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2026
I replied that Pro Bono was my elder, and I felt it unseemly to speak when my betters were conversing.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Overall, England's record of nine home Ashes wins in Leeds is bettered only by their 17 at The Oval, and The Oval has hosted 36 Ashes Tests compared to Headingley's 26.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The 19-year-old bettered the world record set by Australia's Kaylee McKeown three years ago by 0.23secs in her semi-final.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
His Premier League win percentage of 46.9% at the club is bettered only by Kevin Keegan.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Among NL pitchers with at least 70 innings, his ERA is bettered only by Misiorowski.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
I’d sat shotgun because I thought it bettered our chances of surviving a head-on car crash if both of my parents weren’t in the front.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
She said Chinese biotechs have “gotten very good with pretty-well-known targets—in bettering them, in really getting more precise.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Well, then you know how truly committed they were to bettering L.A. in the first place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025
Stewart says California has set "a powerful example" by bettering the quality and sustainability of its school lunch, "showing what's possible nationwide."
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
In the two years Chambers served in Compton, she said she got more done than her predecessors by improving street lighting, bettering the employment rate and helping small businesses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024
At all these studies Ged was apt, and within a month was bettering lads who had been a year at Roke before him.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
