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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:

By reducing this regulatory uncertainty, the Treasury is creating better conditions for banks to support the country’s economic reconstruction.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 2, 2026

The discovery could help researchers better understand cosmic rays, the extremely fast particles that travel through the space between stars and affect events throughout the galaxy.

From Science Daily Aug. 2, 2026

Apple investors almost certainly are far better off for it — and Cook’s successor, John Ternus, would do well to follow in his footsteps.

From MarketWatch Aug. 2, 2026

Beyond looking the part, he has already spent time helping teammates better their technique, jumping at the opportunity to teach.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 2, 2026

Like Bee was pretty sure she hadn’t had a better meal ever.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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

Billions are riding on such sports event contracts, and it isn’t just the wagers of individual betters.

From Barron's Nov. 6, 2025

In addition, the FBI said Damon Jones, a former player and assistant coach for the Lakers, shared inside information about the health of LeBron James with betters back in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 24, 2025

I replied that Pro Bono was my elder, and I felt it unseemly to speak when my betters were conversing.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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

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

Against Morocco, he was only bettered by an extra 369 metres from Lewis Ferguson.

From BBC Jun. 20, 2026

I’d sat shotgun because I thought it bettered our chances of surviving a head-on car crash if both of my parents weren’t in the front.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

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

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

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

The Cleveland Brown's Myles Garrett broke the NFL single-season sack record when he claimed his 23rd of the campaign on Sunday - bettering the previous best of 22.5 first set by Michael Strahan in 2001.

From BBC Jan. 5, 2026

It is her only hope of bettering her lot and seeing her children again.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario




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