ameliorate
to make a bad situation better
Word origin: From Latin melior, better.
Ameliorate in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing ameliorate in a sentence.
The aid program was designed to ameliorate conditions in the refugee camps.
A modest tax credit did little to ameliorate the hardship faced by the lowest-income families.
Quick GRE check
3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?
Verbal · Sentence Equivalence
The new intern was so blank that she completed in two days a backlog her predecessor had let pile up for weeks.
Using “ameliorate” well
Ameliorate means to make a bad situation better, carrying a connotation of partial improvement rather than total cure. It applies to conditions and circumstances, not to objects.
More GRE words starting with A
to lower in rank, dignity, or self-respect
to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed
to lessen in intensity or amount
to formally give up power or responsibility
departing from what is normal or expected
a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
to regard with strong disgust or hatred
Questions about “ameliorate”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.