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improve - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | improve |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make or become better |
| Synonyms: | advance, ameliorate, amend, augment, better, boost, civilize, convalesce, correct, cultivate, develop, edit, elevate, emend, enhance, gain ground*, help, increase, lift, look up*, meliorate, mend, perk up*, pick up*, polish, progress, promote, purify, raise, rally, recover, rectify, recuperate, refine, reform, revamp, revise, rise, sharpen, skyrocket*, take off*, touch up*, update, upgrade, come around*, doctor up, make strides, set right, shape up, straighten out*, turn the corner |
| Antonyms: | damage, decline, decrease, diminish, harm, hurt, injure, weaken, worsen |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | ameliorate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make, become better |
| Synonyms: | alleviate, amend, help, improve, lighten, meliorate, mitigate, relieve, step up, upgrade |
| Antonyms: | worsen |
| Main Entry: | beautify |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make more physically attractive |
| Synonyms: | adorn, array, bedeck, deck, decorate, dress up, embellish, enhance, garnish, gild, grace, improve, make up, ornament, trim, glamorize, prettify, set off |
| Antonyms: | disfigure, harm, injure, mar, spoil |
| Main Entry: | benefit |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | help, enhance |
| Synonyms: | advance, advantage, aid, ameliorate, assist, avail, better, build, favor, further, improve, pay, profit, promote, relieve, serve, succor, be good for, contribute to, do for one, do the trick, fill the bill, make a killing, make it, pay off*, work for |
| Antonyms: | handicap, harm, hinder, hurt, injure |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | build up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | amplify, advertise |
| Synonyms: | add to, boost, develop, enhance, expand, extend, fortify, heighten, hype, improve, increase, intensify, plug*, promote, publicize, puff*, reinforce, spotlight, strengthen |
| Antonyms: | lessen, let down, play down, weaken |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | civilize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make cultured; develop |
| Synonyms: | acquaint, advance, better, cultivate, edify, educate, elevate, enlighten, ennoble, enrich, foster, humanize, idealize, improve, indoctrinate, inform, instruct, polish, promote, reclaim, refine, tame, uplift, acculturate, ethicize, help forward, sophisticate, spiritualize |
| Main Entry: | come along |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | progress, develop |
| Synonyms: | get on, improve, mend, perk up, pick up, rally, recover, recuperate, do well, show improvement |
| Main Entry: | dress up |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | put on one's best clothes |
| Synonyms: | array, attire, beautify, clothe, embellish, fix up, improve, preen, primp, slick, spruce up*, deck out, fit out*, gussy up, overdress, prettify, prink, smarten, spiff up, titivate |
| Antonyms: | dress down, dress casually |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | educate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | teach information, experience |
| Synonyms: | brainwash*, brief, civilize, coach, cultivate, develop, discipline, drill, drum into, edify, enlighten, exercise, explain, foster, improve, indoctrinate, inform, instruct, mature, nurture, rear, school, train, tutor, let in on, put hip, put through the grind, show the ropes |
| Antonyms: | learn |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | elaborate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make detailed; expand |
| Synonyms: | amplify, bedeck, clarify, comment, complicate, deck, decorate, develop, devise, discuss, embellish, enhance, enlarge, evolve, expatiate, explain, expound, garnish, improve, interpret, ornament, polish, produce, refine, specify, unfold, work out, flesh out, particularize |
| Antonyms: | simplify, make simple |
| Main Entry: | emend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | correct |
| Synonyms: | alter, amend, better, edit, improve, polish, rectify, retouch, revise, right, touch up, emendate, redact |
| Notes: | when you amend a text, you change it - usually for the better and when you emend a text, you simply correct the mistakes; whereas one can amend various aspects of conduct or behavior, emend is used if the issue at hand is that of a manuscript, speech, or literary product |
| Antonyms: | worsen, make mistake |
| Main Entry: | enlighten |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | explain thoroughly; make aware |
| Synonyms: | acquaint, advise, apprise, brief, catechize, civilize, convert, counsel, direct, disclose, divulge, edify, educate, elucidate, guide, illuminate, illumine, imitate, improve, inculcate, indoctrinate, inform, instruct, persuade, preach, reveal, save, school, teach, tell, train, update, uplift, cause to understand, give faith, give the lowdown, give the word, illume, inspirit, let in on, open up, put on to |
| Antonyms: | bewilder, confound, confuse, delude, mislead, obscure, puzzle, be vague |
| Main Entry: | furbish |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | polish; renovate |
| Synonyms: | brighten, buff, burnish, clean, fix up, glaze, gloss, improve, refurbish, rehabilitate, renew, restore, rub, shine, spruce up*, deck out, gussy up, recondition, smarten up |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | gain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | acquire, win |
| Synonyms: | accomplish, achieve, advance, ameliorate, annex, attain, augment, benefit, boost, bring in, build up, capture, clear, collect, complete, consummate, earn, enlarge, enlist, expand, fulfill, gather, get, glean, grow, harvest, have, improve, increase, land, make, net, obtain, overtake, parlay, perfect, pick up, procure, produce, profit, progress, promote, rack up*, reach, realize, reap, score*, secure, succeed, make a killing, move forward, win over |
| Antonyms: | exhaust, forfeit, lose, miss, pass, spend, waste |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | heal |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cure, recover |
| Synonyms: | alleviate, ameliorate, attend, bring around, compose, conciliate, convalesce, doctor, dress, fix, free, harmonize, improve, knit, meliorate, mend, patch up, rebuild, reconcile, regenerate, rehabilitate, rejuvenate, remedy, renew, renovate, repair, restore, resuscitate, revive, salve, set, settle, soothe, treat, get well, make healthy, make sound, make well, make whole, medicate, minister to, physic, put on feet again, reanimate, revivify |
| Antonyms: | harm, hurt, injure |
| Main Entry: | heighten |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | intensify |
| Synonyms: | add to, amplify, augment, boost, build up, elevate, enhance, enlarge, exalt, extend, improve, increase, lift, magnify, raise, strengthen, make higher, send up |
| Main Entry: | mellow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ripen, mature |
| Synonyms: | age, arrive, develop, grow, improve, mollify, perfect, ripe, season, soften, sweeten, grow up, maturate, milden, settle down |
| Main Entry: | modernize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bring up to date; remodel |
| Synonyms: | improve, refresh, regenerate, rejuvenate, renew, renovate, restore, revamp, revive, update, remake |
| Antonyms: | antique, date, regress, wear, outmode |
| Main Entry: | overhaul |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | redo, restore |
| Synonyms: | check, debug, do up*, doctor*, examine, fix, improve, inspect, mend, modernize, patch, rebuild, reconstruct, reexamine, renew, repair, revamp, service, survey, fiddle with, give facelift, recondition, retread |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | perfect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | polish; achieve |
| Synonyms: | accomplish, ameliorate, carry out, complete, consummate, crown, cultivate, develop, effect, elaborate, finish, fulfill, hone, idealize, improve, perform, realize, refine, round, slick, smooth, put finishing touch on |
| Antonyms: | destroy, ruin |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
