ameliorate

Advancedzipf 2.56

Pronunciation

/əˈmiːliəreɪt/(uh-MEE-lee-uh-rayt)

Part of speech

verbformal

Chinese

改善；改进（使不好的情况变好）

Definition

To make a bad or unsatisfactory situation better.

Word family

  • amelioration/əˌmiːliəˈreɪʃən/(n)改善

Collocations

  • ameliorate conditions
  • ameliorate suffering
  • ameliorate the situation
  • ameliorate poverty

Examples

  1. 1.New policies were introduced to ameliorate working conditions in factories. (improve)
  2. 2.Foreign aid aims to ameliorate the effects of the drought. (make less severe)

Synonyms

  • improve/ɪmˈpruːv/— make better, general
  • enhance/ɪnˈhɑːns/— increase quality
  • alleviate/əˈliːvieɪt/— reduce severity of suffering

Etymology

from Latin "melior" = better — ad- (to) + meliorare (to make better)