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Definitions

better

[bet-er] / ˈbɛt ər /


ADJECTIVE
larger
Synonyms
Antonyms
WEAK






Usage

What are other ways to say improve? To better is to improve conditions which, though not bad, are unsatisfying: to better an attempt, oneself (as by gaining a higher salary). Improve usually implies remedying a lack or a felt need: to improve a process, oneself (as by gaining more knowledge). The more formal verb ameliorate implies improving oppressive, unjust, or difficult conditions: to ameliorate working conditions.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

“The future’s bright for this team, so there’s no panic but there’s frustration. We’ve got to be better and make more plays.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

"I know I'm better off financially compared to a lot of people living in halls," she said, adding "loads of people" were doing the same thing.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The vast majority of awards were doled out offstage during an evening far better known for its performances and stage antics than its prizes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The more oil that flows from the Gulf, and the less the world demands, the better for the U.S. effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

With each burst of breath, I feel better.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

That’s a sign that betters don’t see the feud with the U.S. as slowing an IPO.

From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026

His betters resented Duchamp’s attempt at depicting movement and judged the title vulgar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

This week: Polymarket teamed up with the Golden Globes, displaying a live ticker for betters on the broadcast.

From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2026

It only betters you as an artist and as a person.

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2024

"Small boys should learn that it is a big mistake to try playing tricks on their betters to gain attention."

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

That performance, bettered only by leading pair Adrianna Sulek-Schubert of Poland and Ireland's Kate O'Connor, followed a time of 14 seconds flat in the 100m hurdles which ranked 15th overall.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

He averaged 111.53 in the final, setting a new record as he bettered Taylor's 111.23 against Adrian Lewis in 2013.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Among NL pitchers with at least 70 innings, his ERA is bettered only by Misiorowski.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

"I think there was an attempt to be smarter and involve the actual game, I think that was a tipping point, neither of those songs have been bettered since," he added.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

These improvements bettered the quality of everything ranging from radios, to television sets, to small electronic calculators, yet the agency hadn’t done a good job of explaining these benefits to the public.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

She said Chinese biotechs have “gotten very good with pretty-well-known targets—in bettering them, in really getting more precise.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

It would, however, take 20 years for Croatia to emerge from the group stage of a World Cup again, bettering the original golden generation by reaching the final in Russia in 2018.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

And not to the exclusion of bettering their lives by paying attention to the nitty and the gritty, like making housing and higher education more readily available and, yes, fixing potholes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2026

Stewart says California has set "a powerful example" by bettering the quality and sustainability of its school lunch, "showing what's possible nationwide."

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024

“But an exceptionally clever student could take a book outside, thus bettering himself without fear of lessening his much-loved faculty of sight.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss




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