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better1

[bet-er]
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adjective, compar. of good with best as superl.
  1. of superior quality or excellence: a better coat; a better speech.
  2. morally superior; more virtuous: They are no better than thieves.
  3. of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness, etc.; preferable: a better time for action.
  4. larger; greater: the better part of a lifetime.
  5. improved in health; healthier than before.
  6. completely recovered in health.
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adverb, compar. of well with best as superl.
  1. in a more appropriate or acceptable way or manner: to behave better.
  2. to a greater degree; more completely or thoroughly: He knows the way better than we do. I probably know him better than anyone else.
  3. more: I walked better than a mile to town.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to increase the good qualities of; make better; improve: to better one's grades; to better the lot of the suburban commuter.
  2. to improve upon; surpass; exceed: We have bettered last year's production record.
  3. Cards. to raise (a previous bid).
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noun
  1. that which has greater excellence or is preferable or wiser: the better of two choices.
  2. Usually betters. those superior to one in wisdom, wealth, etc.
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Idioms
  1. better off,
    1. in better circumstances.
    2. more fortunate; happier: Because of his asthma, he would be better off in a different climate.
  2. better oneself, to improve one's social standing, financial position, or education: He is going to night school because he wants to better himself.
  3. for the better, in a way that is an improvement: His health changed for the better.
  4. get/have the better of,
    1. to get an advantage over.
    2. to prevail against.
  5. go (someone) one better, to exceed the effort of; be superior to: The neighbors went us one better by buying two new cars.
  6. had better, would be wiser or more well-advised to; ought to: We had better stay indoors today.
  7. no better than one should be, morally inferior; immoral or amoral: Don't speak to him; he's no better than he should be!
  8. think better of,
    1. to reconsider and decide more favorably or wisely regarding: I was tempted to make a sarcastic retort, but thought better of it.
    2. to form a higher opinion of: I think better of him now that he's gone back to college.
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Origin of better1

before 900; Middle English bettre, Old English bet(t)(e)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 (adv.) better; akin to boot2) + -iza comparative suffix; suggested relation to Sanskrit bhadrá- “fortunate” is doubtful. See best
Related formsun·bet·tered, adjective
Can be confusedbetter bettor

Synonyms

See more synonyms for better on Thesaurus.com
10. amend; advance, promote; reform, correct, rectify. See improve.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bettered

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • It is for the reader to say whether Shakespeare blurred the picture, or bettered it.

  • I thought they might have bettered that a couple of seconds.

    Thoroughbreds

    W. A. Fraser

  • Men were slow enough to recognise this bettered aspect of their fortune.

    St. Patrick's Eve

    Charles James Lever

  • The Boss said for a miniature word painting that couldn't be bettered.

    Shorty McCabe

    Sewell Ford

  • Doubtless they were satisfied that they had not bettered their condition by what they had done.

    Down the Rhine

    Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for bettered

better1

adjective
  1. the comparative of good
  2. more excellent than other members of a particular group, category, etc
  3. more suitable, advantageous, attractive, etc
  4. improved in health
  5. fully recovered in health
  6. in more favourable circumstances, esp financially
  7. better off in more favourable circumstances, esp financially
  8. the better part of a large part ofthe better part of a day
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adverb
  1. the comparative of well 1
  2. in a more excellent manner; more advantageously, attractively, etc
  3. in or to a greater degree or extent; moreshe is better loved than her sister
  4. go one better (Brit intr; US tr) to outdo (a person) or improve upon (someone else's effort)
  5. had better would be wise, sensible, etc toI had better be off
  6. know better than to not to be so stupid as to
  7. think better of
    1. to change one's course of action after reconsideration
    2. to rate (a person) more highly
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noun
  1. the better something that is the more excellent, useful, etc, of two such things
  2. (usually plural) a person who is superior, esp in social standing or ability
  3. all the better for improved as a result of
  4. all the better to more suitable to
  5. for better for worse whatever the subsequent events or changes may be
  6. for the better by way of improvementa change for the better
  7. get the better of to defeat, outwit, or surpass
  8. the better of Irish having recovered fromI'm not the better of it yet
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verb
  1. to make or become better
  2. (tr) to improve upon; surpass
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Word Origin

Old English betera; related to Old Norse betri, Gothic batiza, Old High German beziro

better2

esp US bettor

noun
  1. a person who bets
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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

Word Origin and History for bettered

better

adj.

Old English bettra, earlier betera, from Proto-Germanic *batizo-, from PIE *bhad- "good;" see best. Comparative adjective of good in the older Germanic languages (cf. Old Frisian betera, Old Saxon betiro, Old Norse betr, Danish bedre, Old High German bezziro, German besser, Gothic batiza). In English it superseded bet in the adverbial sense by 1600. Better half "wife" is first attested 1570s.

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better

n.

late 12c., "that which is better," from better (adj.). Specific meaning "one's superior" is from early 14c. To get the better of (someone) is from 1650s, from better in a sense of "superiority, mastery," which is recorded from mid-15c.

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better

v.

Old English *beterian "improve, amend, make better," from Proto-Germanic *batizojan (cf. Old Frisian beteria, Dutch beteren, Old Norse betra, Old High German baziron, German bessern), from *batiz- (see better (adj.)). Related: Bettered; bettering.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with bettered

better

In addition to the idioms beginning with better

  • better half
  • better late than never
  • better off
  • better part of
  • better safe than sorry
  • better than

also see:

  • against one's better judgment
  • all better
  • all the better
  • discretion is the better part of valor
  • for better or for worse
  • get better
  • get the better (best) of
  • go one better
  • had better (best)
  • know better
  • seen better days
  • so much the better
  • sooner the better
  • take a turn for the better
  • think better of
  • you'd better believe it

Also see underbest.

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.