meliorate

[ meel-yuh-reyt, mee-lee-uh- ]
/ ˈmil yəˌreɪt, ˈmi li ə- /

verb (used with or without object), mel·io·rat·ed, mel·io·rat·ing.

ameliorate.

Origin of meliorate

1545–55; < Latin meliōrātus (past participle of meliōrāre) to make better, improve, equivalent to meliōr- (stem of melior) better + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM meliorate

mel·io·ra·ble [meel-yer-uh-buh l, mee-lee-er-uh-] /ˈmil yər ə bəl, ˈmi li ər ə-/, adjective mel·io·ra·tive [meel-yuh-rey-tiv, -yer-uh-tiv, mee-lee-uh-rey-, -er-uh-] /ˈmil yəˌreɪ tɪv, -yər ə tɪv, ˈmi li əˌreɪ-, -ər ə-/, adjective mel·io·ra·tor, noun un·mel·io·rat·ed, adjective

Words nearby meliorate

melilla, melilot, melinda, melinite, melioidosis, meliorate, melioration, meliorism, meliority, melisma, melissa

Definition for meliorated (2 of 2)

ameliorate
[ uh-meel-yuh-reyt, uh-mee-lee-uh- ]
/ əˈmil yəˌreɪt, əˈmi li ə- /

verb (used with or without object), a·mel·io·rat·ed, a·mel·io·rat·ing.

to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve: strategies to ameliorate negative effects on the environment.
Also meliorate.

Origin of ameliorate

First recorded in 1760–70; a-5 + meliorate

SYNONYMS FOR ameliorate

amend, better. See improve.

ANTONYMS FOR ameliorate

worsen.

OTHER WORDS FROM ameliorate

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ameliorate

ameliorate obviate vitiate

Words related to meliorated

advance, upgrade, better, ameliorate, correct, improve, soften

Example sentences from the Web for meliorated

  • That something the manure of birds, meliorated and altered by time, had supplied, and lo!

    The Crater |James Fenimore Cooper

  • Civilization has not meliorated mankind essentially while men hold themselves to services they make menial and degrading.

    Tablets |Amos Bronson Alcott

  • In this manner soils are constantly changing upon the same spot; sometimes they are meliorated, at other times impoverished.

    Theory of the Earth, Volume 2 (of 4) |James Hutton

British Dictionary definitions for meliorated (1 of 2)

meliorate
/ (ˈmiːlɪəˌreɪt) /

verb

a variant of ameliorate

Derived forms of meliorate

meliorable, adjective meliorative (ˈmiːlɪərətɪv), adjective, noun meliorator, noun

British Dictionary definitions for meliorated (2 of 2)

ameliorate
/ (əˈmiːljəˌreɪt) /

verb

to make or become better; improve

Derived forms of ameliorate

ameliorable (əˈmiːljərəbəl), adjective ameliorant, noun ameliorative, adjective ameliorator, noun

Word Origin for ameliorate

C18: from meliorate, influenced by French améliorer to improve, from Old French ameillorer to make better, from meillor better, from Latin melior

usage for ameliorate

Ameliorate is often wrongly used where alleviate is meant. Ameliorate is properly used to mean `improve', not `make easier to bear', so one should talk about alleviating pain or hardship, not ameliorating it