improvement

[ im-proov-muhnt ]

/ ɪmˈpruv mənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR improvement ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act of improving or the state of being improved.

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.

a bringing into a more valuable or desirable condition, as of land or real property; betterment.

something done or added to real property that increases its value.

profitable use, as of a period of time.

Words nearby improvement

impropriate, impropriety, improv, improve, improve on, improvement, improver, improvident, improvisation, improvisator, improvisatory

Origin of improvement

1400–50; late Middle English improuement < Anglo-French emprouement something profitable (especially exploitation of land). See improve, -ment

SYNONYMS FOR improvement

3 refinement, betterment, advancement.

4 enhancement, repair.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR improvement ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM improvement

non·im·prove·ment, nounpre·im·prove·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for improvement

And this constitutes a bit of an improvement over 10 or 20 years ago.
Ebola and America’s Childish Narcissism|Michael Tomasky|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is an improvement on the Permanent International Peace Bureau, Charles Albert Gobat, and Ludwig Quidde.
Up To A Point: What We Really Need Is a Nobel War Prize|P. J. O’Rourke|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To say that the past few years have been a watershed period of improvement for LGBT America is an understatement.
Mississippi Is Hell for These Lesbians|Emily Shire|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No one will deny these schools' sexual assault responses are in need of scrutiny and improvement.
No Rapes On Campus? No Way.|Emily Shire|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The women with the most severe symptoms experienced the most striking improvement; still others showed no improvement al all.
Take ADHD Drugs to Treat Menopause?|Brandy Zadrozny|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The General had a quick eye to see where improvement could be introduced, and his energy never flagged.
From Slave to College President|Godfrey Holden Pike
The day dragged slowly to its close, and no rest came to the sufferer, nor sign of improvement to relieve our anxiety.
A Crystal Age|W. H. Hudson
The imagination hardly keeps pace with the progress of population, improvement, and civilization.
Select Speeches of Daniel Webster|Daniel Webster
There is reason to hope that the fall in 1935 means an improvement in the general situation.
Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Various Aspects of the Problem of Abortion in New Zealand|David G. McMillan
By those voyages the seeds of various kinds of knowledge and improvement were at different times imported into England.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. VII. (of 12)|Edmund Burke

British Dictionary definitions for improvement

improvement

/ (ɪmˈpruːvmənt) /

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 functionCompare conversion (def. 9)

(usually plural) Australian and NZ a building or other works on a piece of land, adding to its value

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

improvement

noun

Words related to improvement

Words nearby improvement

Origin of improvement

SYNONYMS FOR improvement

OTHER WORDS FROM improvement

Examples from the Web for improvement

British Dictionary definitions for improvement

noun