ameliorate
verb /əˈmiːliəreɪt/
/əˈmiːliəreɪt/
(formal)Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they ameliorate | /əˈmiːliəreɪt/ /əˈmiːliəreɪt/ |
| he / she / it ameliorates | /əˈmiːliəreɪts/ /əˈmiːliəreɪts/ |
| past simple ameliorated | /əˈmiːliəreɪtɪd/ /əˈmiːliəreɪtɪd/ |
| past participle ameliorated | /əˈmiːliəreɪtɪd/ /əˈmiːliəreɪtɪd/ |
| -ing form ameliorating | /əˈmiːliəreɪtɪŋ/ /əˈmiːliəreɪtɪŋ/ |
- ameliorate something to make better something that was bad or not good enough
- Steps have been taken to ameliorate the situation.
- The new laws were designed to ameliorate the problem of chronic debt.
- The side-effects of the treatment can be ameliorated to some extent.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryAmeliorate is used with these nouns as the object:- condition
- effect
- situation
- …
Word Originmid 18th cent.: alteration of meliorate (of the same meaning), influenced by French améliorer, from meilleur ‘better’.