meliorate
/ˈmiːli.əɹeɪt/ verb
Forms meliorates meliorating meliorated
- verb (transitive) To make better; to improve; to solve a problem. “They offered some compromises in an effort to meliorate the disagreement.”
- verb (intransitive) To become better.
Synonyms
ameliorate refine resolve work out amend batten better enhance hone improve get better look up absolve decipher get to the bottom of iron out puzzle out ravel reason out riddle
Etymology
First attested in 1542; borrowed from Late Latin meliorātus, perfect passive participle of meliorō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from melior (“better”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To make better; to improve; to ameliorate; to soften; to make more tolerable.
- verb To grow better.
Etymology [L. melioratus, p. p. of meliorare to meliorate, fr. melior better; akin to Gr. Ameliorate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “meliorate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details