ameliorate

/əˈmiːliəreɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈmiːliəreɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈmēl-yə-ˌrāt -ˈmē-lē-ə-/ (ame, mw)

ameliorate — verb

  • amelioratepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • ameliorateshe / she / it
  • amelioratedpast simple
  • ameliorating-ing form

1. to reduce the harm, discomfort, or difficulty in a situation so that it becomes

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to reduce the harm, discomfort, or difficulty in a situation so that it becomes easier to deal with.

例句

The new bus line ameliorated the long wait for hospital staff.

ameliorate + problem or difficulty

Cool towels ameliorated the fever until the doctor arrived.

ameliorate + physical symptom

同義詞
  • improve

    broader and much more common in everyday English

  • ease

    focuses on making pain, worry, or pressure less strong

  • relieve

    often used for pain, stress, or another unpleasant feeling

  • mitigate

    formal, stresses reducing the seriousness rather than fixing the whole problem

反義詞
  • worsen

    to make a situation become more serious or painful

  • aggravate

    formal, often used for damage, pain, or conflict becoming worse

文法句型

ameliorate + noun phrase

用法筆記

Common in formal writing about problems, pain, poverty, delay, or other negative conditions. The object is usually the trouble itself, not a person.

常見錯誤

❌The coach ameliorated the players before the match.
✅The coach improved the players' fitness before the match.
💡ameliorate usually takes a problem or condition as its object, not a person directly.

2. to become less bad and move toward a better state.

2.動詞不及物C2
釋義

to become less bad and move toward a better state.

例句

After a week of rest, Mei's cough began to ameliorate.

begin to ameliorate

The traffic near the bridge slowly ameliorated after sunrise.

condition ameliorates over time

同義詞
  • improve

    the normal everyday verb for becoming better

  • ease

    often used when pain, tension, or pressure becomes less strong

  • subside

    used when pain, heat, or trouble slowly becomes less intense

反義詞
  • worsen

    to become more serious or unpleasant

  • deteriorate

    formal, stresses a gradual move toward a worse state

文法句型

condition/problem ameliorates

begin to ameliorate

用法筆記

Formal and uncommon in everyday speech. The subject is usually a condition, symptom, or situation that improves by itself, not a person making a change.

常見錯誤

❌The city ameliorated after new signs were added.
✅Traffic in the city ameliorated after new signs were added.
💡this sense needs a problem or condition as the subject, not the place itself.