ameliorate
Usage
What are other ways to say ameliorate?
The formal word ameliorate implies improving oppressive, unjust, or difficult conditions: to ameliorate working conditions. Improve usually implies remedying a lack or a felt need: to improve a process, oneself (as by gaining more knowledge). To better is to improve conditions which, though not bad, are unsatisfying: to better an attempt, oneself (as by gaining a higher salary).
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.
It suggests something more uncomfortable: that how protests are conducted determines whether they clarify and ameliorate injustice or obscure and perpetuate it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Ideally, Owens and Erika Kirk could find alignment, and ameliorate some of Owens’ more looney ideas.
From Slate • Dec. 22, 2025
The attempt to ameliorate market tension came quick.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 13, 2025
"The things that survive and probably diversify will of course be the rats and the ragweed and the cockroaches ... unless some really concerted work is done to ameliorate some of the most extreme forces."
From Salon • Feb. 25, 2025
No matter how sedulously Ben and Mary Anne prepared for the nightmare, nothing could ameliorate their discomfort at entering a new high school for their annual pilgrimage among strangers.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
