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
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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:
“The eagle continues to perch and eat, and there is slight improvement in her energy,” says the center’s Eliza Cameron in the post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Distillation, or the practice of using one model’s outputs to help train or improve another, is a widely used technique for model improvement, evaluation and validation,” the AI-industry letter said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
"He offers energy, outstanding work rate and an exceptional range of passing. His improvement in recent years has been really impressive and underlines his desire to be the best player he can be," Viana said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management cautioned however that the rebound did not appear to be driven by "a decisive improvement in the AI fundamentals".
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the initial six years following this policy change, the forest cover increased by 5 percent—a marked improvement for the habitat and thus for panda survival that hopefully will only increase.
From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh
As well as lowering prices, Primark says it is making improvements to the quality, fit and style of clothes.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
In other words, the health improvements they provide are considered substantial enough to justify their price.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Our focus on premium products continues to drive improvements in credit performance,” Chief Financial Officer Christophe Le Caillec said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
That wasn’t enough for Kennedy, who says the school has acted “willful, malicious, oppressive, fraudulent” and “despicable” as it planned its facility improvements.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
That afternoon, Malcolm went to the lean-to and inspected the improvements to La Belle Sauvage.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
