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GRE vocabulary

ameliorate

verbHigh-frequency wordMore A words

to make a bad situation better

Word origin: From Latin melior, better.

In a sentence

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.

Synonyms
improvebettermitigate
Antonyms
Usage & nuance

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.

Common questions

Questions about “ameliorate

Ameliorate (verb) means to make a bad situation better
Here is ameliorate used in an example sentence: "The aid program was designed to ameliorate conditions in the refugee camps." Another example: "A modest tax credit did little to ameliorate the hardship faced by the lowest-income families."
Common synonyms for ameliorate include improve, better, mitigate.
Antonyms of ameliorate include worsen, aggravate, exacerbate.
Ameliorate clusters with improve, better, and mitigate in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms worsen, aggravate, and exacerbate signal deterioration, a frequent GRE contrast.
Yes. Ameliorate is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.