Word: ameliorate (verb)

Associations

"Ameliorate" means to make something better or improve a bad situation. It is often used in formal or written English.

• The government took steps to ameliorate the living conditions of the poor. Here, "ameliorate" means to improve conditions.
• New policies were introduced to ameliorate traffic congestion in the city. It means to reduce or improve a problem.
• The medicine helped to ameliorate the patient's symptoms. It means to make symptoms less severe.

A common synonym is "improve," but "ameliorate" usually refers to making something bad or difficult better, not just any improvement. "Improve" is more general.

Substitution

You can use:

• improve (more general, everyday use)
• relieve (if talking about pain or problems)
• ease (to make less severe)
• upgrade (for things like technology or services, less formal)

Using "ameliorate" sounds more formal and is often used in serious or official contexts.

Deconstruction

• Root: "melior" means "better" in Latin.
• Prefix: "a-" here means "to" or "toward."
• Suffix: "-ate" turns the word into a verb. So, "ameliorate" literally means "to make better."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a problem in your life that you would like to ameliorate?
• How would you use "ameliorate" in a sentence about school or work?
• Why do you think English has both "improve" and "ameliorate"? When might one be better to use than the other?