Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- an act or instance of ameliorating or making better; the state of being ameliorated or made better: the amelioration of working conditions.
- something that ameliorates; an improvement.
- melioration(def 1).
noun
- the act or an instance of ameliorating or the state of being ameliorated
- something that ameliorates; an improvement
- Also called: elevation linguistics (of the meaning of a word) a change from pejorative to neutral or positively pleasant. The word nice has achieved its modern meaning by amelioration from the earlier sense foolish, silly
1650s, from French amélioration, from Old French ameillorer (12c.), from a “to” (see ad-) + meillior (Modern French meìlleur) “to better,” from Late Latin meliorare “improve,” from Latin melior “better,” perhaps originally “stronger,” and related to Greek mala “very, very much,” from PIE *mel- “strong, great” (see multi-).