improvement
Americannoun
-
a change or addition by which a thing is improved.
-
a person or thing that represents an advance on another in excellence or achievement.
The new landlord is a great improvement over his greedy predecessor.
- Synonyms:
- advancement, betterment, refinement
-
a bringing into a more valuable or desirable condition, as of land or real property; betterment.
- Synonyms:
- repair, enhancement
-
something done or added to real property that increases its value.
-
profitable use, as of a period of time.
noun
-
the act of improving or the state of being improved
-
something that improves, esp an addition or alteration
-
alteration of the structure, fixtures, fittings, or decor of a building without changing its function Compare conversion
-
(usually plural) a building or other works on a piece of land, adding to its value
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of improvement
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English improuement, from Anglo-French emprouement “something profitable (especially exploitation of land)”; see improve, -ment
Explanation
When there's improvement, something is getting better. Going from a C to an A in math is an improvement. If you want to improve something, you've got to make improvements. Lots of people strive for personal improvement: maybe it's losing a few pounds for an improvement in their appearance, or reading more for an improvement in intelligence. Businesses look for improvement in customer service or profitability. Any change for the better or step in the right direction is an improvement.
Vocabulary lists containing improvement
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 6
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 13
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-ment
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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:
One day scholars will teach Lepore’s work alongside Arendt’s, seeing that Lepore interrogates not simply a modern moment, but traces our current machine age back to the 17th-century conceit for artifice as improvement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
He told Serbian TV channel N1 that the Danube was down to levels not seen for 50 to 60 years, and climatologists did not expect to see any improvement until mid-September.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The group backed its recovery plan for a return to sustained sales growth over the full fiscal year, as well as a slight improvement in its operating margin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Cocoa extract did not produce a significant improvement in functional health scores across the study population as a whole.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
Most importantly, they told me, it would mean a massive improvement to how I looked.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
The improvements followed what Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas described as an "optimistic day" Thursday with "the feeling that we are beginning to return to normal life".
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Some of those projects, including improvements and expansions to bus routes are still in the design phase.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
For many, confidence in both Hamas and Israel remains low, with previous agreements having repeatedly broken down before delivering meaningful improvements on the ground.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
If the second-quarter Ebitda is repeated, it is likely to meet the lower end of guidance, on top of several potential sources of improvements for the second half, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
It was critical now, Olmsted argued, to concentrate on making improvements of a kind most likely to increase the gleam in the stories people took back to their hometowns.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
