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Definitions

better

[bet-er] / ˈbɛt ər /


ADJECTIVE
larger
Synonyms
Antonyms
WEAK






Usage

What are other ways to say improve? To better is to improve conditions which, though not bad, are unsatisfying: to better an attempt, oneself (as by gaining a higher salary). Improve usually implies remedying a lack or a felt need: to improve a process, oneself (as by gaining more knowledge). The more formal verb ameliorate implies improving oppressive, unjust, or difficult conditions: to ameliorate working conditions.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

If that is the case then he needs more from his assistants - or just better ones.

From BBC Sep. 20, 2026

Stocks have also weathered the rise in rates better than many had feared, with corporate profits holding up and the AI trade intact.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 20, 2026

A better understanding of BFAs could eventually contribute to methods for managing cat urine odor.

From Science Daily Sep. 20, 2026

“Trust them. Don’t, for lack of a better word, be a prude about it.”

From Salon Sep. 20, 2026

Happy memories of better, easier times with Dad come at me in pieces, but the last thing he said to me erases it all.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

His betters resented Duchamp’s attempt at depicting movement and judged the title vulgar.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

This week: Polymarket teamed up with the Golden Globes, displaying a live ticker for betters on the broadcast.

From Slate Jan. 17, 2026

Like my literary betters, I sometimes worry that reading distracts me from writing.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 16, 2026

Billions are riding on such sports event contracts, and it isn’t just the wagers of individual betters.

From Barron's Nov. 6, 2025

I replied that Pro Bono was my elder, and I felt it unseemly to speak when my betters were conversing.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Brighton managed 10 clean sheets last season, bettered by only six teams.

From BBC Aug. 14, 2026

The 19-year-old bettered the world record set by Australia's Kaylee McKeown three years ago by 0.23secs in her semi-final.

From BBC Aug. 12, 2026

He averaged 111.53 in the final, setting a new record as he bettered Taylor's 111.23 against Adrian Lewis in 2013.

From BBC Jul. 26, 2026

Among NL pitchers with at least 70 innings, his ERA is bettered only by Misiorowski.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 30, 2026

I’d sat shotgun because I thought it bettered our chances of surviving a head-on car crash if both of my parents weren’t in the front.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

She said Chinese biotechs have “gotten very good with pretty-well-known targets—in bettering them, in really getting more precise.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

It would, however, take 20 years for Croatia to emerge from the group stage of a World Cup again, bettering the original golden generation by reaching the final in Russia in 2018.

From BBC Jun. 17, 2026

Well, then you know how truly committed they were to bettering L.A. in the first place.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 7, 2025

Henley “simultaneously attempted to create an air of legitimacy for the Big U Enterprise by promoting himself as a reformed gang member focused on bettering his community,” Roosa wrote.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 19, 2025

“But an exceptionally clever student could take a book outside, thus bettering himself without fear of lessening his much-loved faculty of sight.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss




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