ameliorate
/əˈmiːli.əɹeɪt/ verb
Forms ameliorates ameliorating ameliorated
- verb (transitive) To make better, or improve, something perceived to be in a negative condition. “They offered some compromises in an effort to ameliorate the situation.”
- verb (intransitive) To become better; improve.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Alteration of meliorate after French améliorer.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To make better; to improve; to meliorate.
- verb To grow better; to meliorate; as, wine ameliorates by age.
Etymology [L. ad + meliorare to make better: cf. F. améliorer. See Meliorate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ameliorate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details