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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:

What passes for story amounts to little more than a two-dimensional cartoon rendered in human-flesh puppetry, courtesy of actors capable of much better, Cardellini included.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

Blood pressure improved, and the mice performed better on tests of social interaction and object recognition memory.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

"So we're going back to an approach that better protects people," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

"My main thought was that petrol would run out at the petrol stations and I'd better fill up."

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

“He thinks by battling me, he’ll prove he’s better than me.”

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

Now, 12 years and many political lifetimes later, they read as quaint and out-of-touch, like a grandfather telling his grandson to never contradict his betters.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

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

Brighton managed 10 clean sheets last season, bettered by only six teams.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

His Premier League win percentage of 46.9% at the club is bettered only by Kevin Keegan.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 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’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

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

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

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

In the two years Chambers served in Compton, she said she got more done than her predecessors by improving street lighting, bettering the employment rate and helping small businesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024

The other day, when the Pickled Onion was pestering me about my grammar and vocabulary and bettering myself, she asked me what I aspired to in this life.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan


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