Meanings
plural betterments
- countableuncommonuncountableAn improvement or amelioration.
When BR "back-checked" (BR's term) the financial results of steam replacement across 49 schemes, where DMUs had been substituted on the London Midland Region, only one was now profitable. BR thinking on such substitutions referred to "betterment", not profit or loss.
2023 March 8, David Clough, “The long road that led to Beeching”, in RAIL, number 978, page 43
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna change for the better; progress in development
nounthe act of relieving ills and changing for the better
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*batiz
- Proto-Germanic*batizô
- Proto-Germanic*batizōną
- Old Englishbeterian
- Middle Englishbeteren
- Englishbetter
- Englishbetterment
Translations
Bulgarian подобряване, подобрение
- подобряване (podobrjavane)an improvement
- подобрение (podobrenie)an improvement
- напредък (napredăk)an improvement
- подобрение (podobrenie)improvement to a property
Finnish parannus
- parannusan improvement
French amélioration
- améliorationan improvement
Hungarian javulás
- javulásan improvement
Indonesian perbaikan
- perbaikanan improvement
Italian miglioramento
- miglioramentoan improvement
Spanish mejora, mejora
- mejoraan improvement
- mejoraimprovement to a property
Cite this entry
betterment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betterment
“betterment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betterment. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “betterment,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/betterment.
Source: betterment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.