Ameliorate means to make better or more tolerable, particularly when improving a bad situation, and is related to the Latin word for 'better'.
Ameliorate significa mejorar o hacer más tolerable una situación que ya es mala. Es un sinónimo de "better" y "improve", pero se usa específicamente cuando las condiciones mejoran de algo negativo.
| Word | ameliorate |
|---|---|
| Date | March 21, 2017 |
| Type | verb |
| Syllables | uh-MEE-lee-uh-rayt |
| Etymology | Ameliorate traces back to melior, the Latin adjective meaning "better," and is a synonym of the verbs better and improve. When is it better to use ameliorate? If a situation is bad, ameliorate indicates that the conditions have been made more tolerable. Thus, one might refer to drugs that ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy, a loss of wages ameliorated by unemployment benefits, or a harsh law ameliorated by special exceptions. Improve and better apply when something bad is being made better (as in "the weather improved" or "she bettered her lot in life"), and they should certainly be chosen over ameliorate when something good is getting better still ("he improved his successful program," "she bettered her impressive scores"). |
| Examples | Access to clean water would ameliorate living conditions within the village. "There is one variable that many childhood experts agree can ameliorate the uncertainty in the lives of 'at risk' youths. A caring adult willing to take a few hours a week for a one-on-one relationship with a child or young adult can have an enormous impact on that child's life and future success." — Alice Dubenetsky, The Vermont Eagle, 18 Jan. 2017 |
| Definition | 1 : to make better or more tolerable 2 : to grow better : improve |
Tags: wordoftheday::verb
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Neck hackle long century bird's plumage comb flax
Previous card: Lief adverb adjective appeared william march leef began
Up to card list: Word of the Day