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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:

Pre-orders for the Duo went live in October, so the December quarter will give investors a better idea of how the foldable phone is performing.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

“With cracks broadly stable quarter on quarter at multidecade highs…the sequential jump came from a lower crude basket cost, better margin capture and higher throughput,” analysts Bineet Banka and Abhishek Bhandari write in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

So I pitched it even though I wished it was a little better.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

But do the Shetland Isles really need better protection by the military?

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

“Mav can’t stay here if I’m not here. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t find a better place for him.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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

Like my literary betters, I sometimes worry that reading distracts me from writing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026

He was not comfortable with these men—that was it—it was difficult for him to accept them as his elders and betters in the faith.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

During the 2022-23 La Liga season he produced 0.56 non-penalty xG plus xA per 90, a rate bettered by only seven players with at least 1,500 minutes, all representing Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

Roared on by a sell-out crowd of 60,000 at London Stadium, the five-time global medallist bettered the Moroccan's mark - untouched since 1999, when Kerr was aged one - by nearly half a second.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 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

I humbly decline your request and actually would love to have a space where everyone is allowed to ask questions pertaining to bettering their understanding of their clients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

I think we still have a long way to go in terms of bettering ourselves, but we’ve come a long way from the beginning.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Abdul Hammed currently works at a warehouse, but the 33-year-old has come to the apprenticeship fair in the hope of bettering himself.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Since 1 February, Forest have conceded 46 goals in the Premier League, with only Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool bettering them.

From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2025

“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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