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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 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

“I just have to get back in the film room and watch the tape. Obviously, I’m not perfect. I just want to get better day-by-day.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Other considerations are whether you can lock the money away for longer, to receive a better savings rate.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

A well-designed system could help us understand better what we don’t know as well as what we do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

I could tell he didn’t like it the one time that I did swim a better time than him, and I didn’t bother arguing with him when he insisted that he let me win.

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

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

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2024

“Mind you, I’m not one to gossip. You remember that, Ophelia. The lives of your betters are not fodder for your amusement.”

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

Overall, England's record of nine home Ashes wins in Leeds is bettered only by their 17 at The Oval, and The Oval has hosted 36 Ashes Tests compared to Headingley's 26.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

She is surely on course to break her major duck sometime soon and in California last Sunday it was only the brilliance of a dominant world number one that bettered the British star.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

His joint record of 20 assists in a single Premier League season was only bettered this year by Manchester United's Fernandes.

From BBC ● May 28, 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

Henley “simultaneously attempted to create an air of legitimacy for the Big U Enterprise by promoting himself as a reformed gang member focused on bettering his community,” Roosa wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025

United have shut out their opponents on five occasions this term, with only Liverpool bettering them with six.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2024

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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