improvement

American  

[im-proov-muhnt] / ɪmˈpruv mənt /

noun

• improvements
  plural

1. an act of improving or the state of being improved.

2. a change or addition by which a thing is improved.

3. 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

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

   Synonyms:

   repair, enhancement

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

6. profitable use, as of a period of time.

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improvement British  

/ ɪmˈpruːvmənt /

noun

1. the act of improving or the state of being improved

2. something that improves, esp an addition or alteration

3. alteration of the structure, fixtures, fittings, or decor of a building without changing its function Compare conversion

4. (usually plural) a building or other works on a piece of land, adding to its value

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonimprovement
  noun
• preimprovement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• improvements
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

improvement improvements

“This improvement was primarily driven by solid profitability in our core JD Retail business and continued narrowing of loss at JD Food Delivery.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The latest polls suggest that a full 20 percent of the electorate intends to vote for the bin, a gigantic improvement on any of Binface’s past showings, and in any case an embarrassment for Farage.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

Hotel occupancy was down three percent in the quarter to end-June, TUI said, an improvement from the six percent fall seen in the previous six months.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

In a statement, the MoD said the review was commissioned "to provide honest challenge, identify areas of improvement and to help ensure the highest standards for victims and witnesses".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

It’s kind of a dusty mess right now, but so are a lot of the “before” rooms on the home improvement shows Mom watches.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

But we have fewer customer contacts per booking because of improvements in the way we’re doing business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Thanks to "improvements" in how state-owned enterprises are managed, profits rose more than 75 percent from 2024 to 326 trillion rupiah last year, the president said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Although these changes are modest, even slight improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol can make a meaningful difference when maintained over many years.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

“It does not surprise me that we’re starting to see some improvements … But we’re surely still falling short of other Western democracies.”

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

The students showed dramatic improvements in their test scores in several subjects, and many more of them graduated from high school and applied to college.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• advance
• advancement
• change
• development
• enhancement
• gain
• growth
• increase
• progress
• recovery
• renovation
• revision
• rise
• upgrade