Meanings
improve1
present singular third person improves · participle present improving · participle past improved · past improved · alternative emprove
- transitiveTo make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something).
Painting the woodwork will improve this house.
2 more examples
Buying more servers would improve performance.
Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster.
2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70Synonyms: ameliorate
- intransitiveTo become better.
I have improved since taking the tablets.
2 more examples
The error messages have improved since the last version, when they were incomprehensible.
“My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 41 - datedTo use or employ to good purpose; to turn to profitable account.
to improve one's time; to improve his means
5 more examples
We shall especially honour God, by discharging faithfully those offices which God hath entrusted us with: by improving diligently those talents which God hath committed to us
a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC[A] hint that I do not remember to have seen opened and improved […]
1711 July 17 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “FRIDAY, July 7, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 111; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 96How doth the little busy bee / Improve each shining hour.
1715, Isaac Watts, Against Idleness and Mischief[T]he court has alſo an opportunity, which it ſeldom fails to improve, […]
1768, William Blackstone, “Of Judgment, and It’s Incidents”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book III (Of Private Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 392March 7, 1778, George Washington, letter True policy, as well as good faith, in my opinion, binds us to improve the occasion.
improve2
present singular third person improves · participle present improving · participle past improved · past improved
- obsoleteTo disprove or make void; to refute.
One ſayth this and a nother that / but can not agre. Nether can any of them make ſo ſtronge a reaſon vvhich a nother can not improve.
1528 October 12 (Gregorian calendar), William Tyndale, “[Of the Sacramentes.] Of Order.”, in The Obediẽce of a Christen Man […], [Antwerp]: [Johannes Hoochstraten], →OCLC, folios xciij, recto – xciij, verso - obsoleteTo disapprove of; to find fault with; to reprove; to censure.
You would improve his negligence, too oft to ease retir’d: […]
[1611?], Homer, “Book X”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC; republished as The Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets, […], new edition, volume I, London: Charles Knight and Co., […], 1843, →OCLC, page 2181 more example
[W]hen he reherſed his preachinge and his doynges vnto the hye Apoſtles / they coulde improve no thinge […]
1528 October 12 (Gregorian calendar), William Tyndale, “The .IIIJ. Senses of yͤ Scripture”, in The Obediẽce of a Christen Man […], [Antwerp]: [Johannes Hoochstraten], →OCLC, folio cxlix, recto
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something).
antonym(s) of
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
improve · verb
- Vulgar Latinprode“advantageous, profitable”
- Old Frenchen-
- Anglo-Normanemprouwer
- Englishimprove
From Anglo-Norman emprouwer, from Old French en- + prou (“profit”), from Vulgar Latin prode (“advantageous, profitable”).
More words from Anglo-Norman, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →improve · verb
- Latinimprobō“disapprove, reject”
- Englishimprove
From Latin improbō (“disapprove, reject”). Doublet of improbate.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans verbeter
- verbeterto make something better
Arabic حَسَّنَ, تَحَسَّنَ
- حَسَّنَ (ḥassana)to make something better
- تَحَسَّنَ (taḥassana)to become better
Basque hobetu
- hobetuto make something better
Bulgarian подобря́вам, подобря́
- подобря́вам (podobrjávam)to make something better
- подобря́ (podobrjá)to make something better
- усъвърше́нствам (usăvăršénstvam)to make something better
- подобря́вам се (podobrjávam se)to become better
- подобря́ се (podobrjá se)to become better
Catalan millorar, millorar
- millorarto make something better
- millorarto become better
Chinese Mandarin 改善, 提高
- 改善 (gǎishàn)to make something better
- 提高 (tígāo)to make something better
- 改善 (gǎishàn)to become better
- 提高 (tígāo)to become better
- 向上 (xiàngshàng)to become better
Czech zlepšovat, zlepšit
- zlepšovatto make something better
- zlepšitto make something better
- vylepšovatto make something better
- vylepšitto make something better
- zlepšovat seto become better
- zlepšit seto become better
- vylepšovat seto become better
- vylepšit seto become better
Danish forbedre, forbedre sig
- forbedreto make something better
- forbedre sigto become better
Dutch beter maken, verbeteren
- beter makento make something better
- verbeterento make something better
- beterento make something better
- beterento become better
Esperanto plibonigi
- plibonigito make something better
Finnish parantaa, parantua
- parantaato make something better
- parantuato become better
French améliorer, amender
- améliorerto make something better
- amenderto make something better
- s'améliorerto become better
German verbessern, sich verbessern
- verbessernto make something better
- sich verbessernto become better
Greek βελτιώνω, βελτιώνομαι
- βελτιώνω (veltióno)to make something better
- βελτιώνομαι (veltiónomai)to become better
Hebrew שיפר \ שִׁפֵּר, הִשְׁתַּפֵּר
- שיפר \ שִׁפֵּר (shippér)to make something better
- הִשְׁתַּפֵּר (hishtapér)to become better
Hindi सुधरना
- सुधरना (sudharnā)to make something better
Hungarian javít, tökéletesít
- javítto make something better
- tökéletesítto make something better
- gyógyulto become better
- javulto become better
- meggyógyulto become better
- megjavulto become better
- rendbe jönto become better
- talpra állto become better
Icelandic betra
- betrato make something better
Irish leasaigh, cuir feabhas ar
- leasaighto make something better
- cuir feabhas arto make something better
- téigh i bhfeabhasto become better
Italian migliorare, perfezionare
- migliorareto make something better
- perfezionareto make something better
- fare migliorieto make something better
- migliorareto become better
- stare meglioto become better
- riprendersito become better
Japanese 改良する, 改善する
- 改良する (kairyō suru)to make something better
- 改善する (kaizen suru)to make something better
- 良くする (yoku suru)to make something better
- 好転する (kōten suru)to become better
- 良くなる (yoku naru)to become better
Korean 개선하다, 개선되다
- 개선하다 (gaeseonhada)to make something better
- 개선되다 (gaeseondoeda)to become better
Latin meliorem facio, melior fio
- meliorem facioto make something better
- melior fioto become better
- melius fioto become better
Māori whakapai, whakawhanake
- whakapaito make something better
- whakawhanaketo make something better
Norwegian Bokmål forbedre, bedre
- forbedreto make something better
- bedreto make something better
- forbedre segto become better
Persian بهبود دادن, بهبود یافتن
- بهبود دادن (behbud dâdan)to make something better
- بهبود یافتن (behbud yâftan)to become better
Polish poprawiać, poprawić
- poprawiaćto make something better
- poprawićto make something better
- ulepszaćto make something better
- ulepszyćto make something better
- polepszaćto make something better
- polepszyćto make something better
- usprawniaćto make something better
- usprawnićto make something better
- poprawiać sięto become better
- poprawić sięto become better
Portuguese melhorar, melhorar
- melhorarto make something better
- melhorarto become better
Romanian îmbunătăți, a se îmbunătăți
- îmbunătățito make something better
- a se îmbunătățito become better
Russian улучша́ть, улу́чшить
- улучша́ть (ulučšátʹ)to make something better
- улу́чшить (ulúčšitʹ)to make something better
- соверше́нствовать (soveršénstvovatʹ)to make something better
- нала́дить (naláditʹ)to make something better
- поправля́ть (popravljátʹ)to make something better
- попра́вить (poprávitʹ)to make something better
- нала́живать (naláživatʹ)to make something better
- улучша́ться (ulučšátʹsja)to become better
- улу́чшиться (ulúčšitʹsja)to become better
- поправля́ться (popravljátʹsja)to become better
- попра́виться (poprávitʹsja)to become better
- нала́живаться (naláživatʹsja)to become better
Slovak zlepšovať, zlepšiť
- zlepšovaťto make something better
- zlepšiťto make something better
- vylepšovaťto make something better
- vylepšiťto make something better
- zlepšovať sato become better
- zlepšiť sato become better
- vylepšovať sato become better
- vylepšiť sato become better
Spanish mejorar, embonar
- mejorarto make something better
- embonarto make something better
- mejorarto become better
Swahili boresha
- boreshato become better
Swedish förbättra, bättra
- förbättrato make something better
- bättrato make something better
- bli bättreto become better
- förbättrasto become better
Tagalog pagandahin, ayusin
- pagandahinto make something better
- ayusinto make something better
Thai ปรับปรุง, ดีขึ้น
- ปรับปรุง (bpràp-bprung)to make something better
- ดีขึ้น (dii-kʉ̂n)to become better
- ทุเลา (tú-lao)to become better
Turkish düzeltmek, iyileştirmek
- düzeltmekto make something better
- iyileştirmekto become better
Ukrainian полі́пшувати, полі́пшити
- полі́пшувати (polípšuvaty)to make something better
- полі́пшити (polípšyty)to make something better
- покра́щувати (pokráščuvaty)to make something better
- покра́щити (pokráščyty)to make something better
- полі́пшуватися (polípšuvatysja)to become better
- полі́пшитися (polípšytysja)to become better
- покра́щуватися (pokráščuvatysja)to become better
- покра́щитися (pokráščytysja)to become better
Vietnamese cải thiện, cải tiến
- cải thiệnto make something better
- cải tiếnto make something better
- cải thiệnto become better
Welsh gwella, gwella
- gwellato make something better
- gwellato become better
Yiddish פֿאַרבעסערן
- פֿאַרבעסערן (farbesern)to make something better
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with improve
All rhymes →Cite this entry
improve. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/improve
“improve.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/improve. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “improve,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/improve.
Source: improve on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.