— improvable , adj. — improvability, improvableness , n. — improvably , adv. — improvingly , adv.
/im proohv"/ , v. , improved, improving .
v.t.
1. to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition: He took vitamins to improve his health.
2. to make (land) more useful, profitable, or valuable by enclosure, cultivation, etc.
3. to increase the value of (real property) by betterments, as the construction of buildings and sewers.
4. to make good use of; turn to account: He improved the stopover by seeing a client with offices there.
v.i.
5. to increase in value, excellence, etc.; become better: The military situation is improving.
6. to make improvements, as by revision, addition, or change: None of the younger violinists have been able to improve on his interpretation of that work.
[ 1425-75; late ME improuen, emprouen emprouer to turn (something) into profit, deriv. of phrase en prou into profit, equiv. to en (see EN- 1 ) + prou, OF prou, preu prode ( est ), by reanalysis of L prodest (it) is beneficial, of use, with prode taken as a neut. n. (cf. PROUD); v by assoc. with PROVE, APPROVE ]
Syn. 1. amend, emend. IMPROVE, AMELIORATE, BETTER imply bringing to a more desirable state. IMPROVE usually implies remedying a lack or a felt need: to improve a process, oneself ( as by gaining more knowledge ). AMELIORATE, a formal word, implies improving oppressive, unjust, or difficult conditions: to ameliorate working conditions. To BETTER is to improve conditions which, though not bad, are unsatisfying: to better an attempt, oneself ( gain a higher salary ).
Ant. 1, 5. worsen.