VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

betterment

noun·Academicformal

Last updated

UK/ˈbetəmənt/
US/ˈbetərmənt/

Meanings

  1. noununcountableformal

    The act of making someone's life, a community or a situation better, or the improvement that results.

    Grammar: Usually uncountable and followed by of or for: the betterment of society.

    Patterns

    • betterment of something
    • for the betterment of someone

    The fund was created for the betterment of local schools.

    She devoted her life to the betterment of the poor.

    Self-betterment books are popular in January.

  2. nouncountablelegal

    An improvement made to a property, such as a new road or building, which increases its value.

    Grammar: Legal and real-estate sense; often plural: betterments to the property.

    Patterns

    • betterments to something
    • betterment tax

    The owner added betterments to the building before selling it.

    The council charged a betterment fee to homes next to the new road.

Word forms

pluralbetterments

Common combinations

betterment of society
Volunteers work for the betterment of society.
personal betterment
Courses offer personal betterment at any age.
self-betterment
He treats his hobbies as a form of self-betterment.
community betterment
The group funds projects for community betterment.
for the betterment of
The scholarship is for the betterment of rural students.

Synonyms and how they differ

improvement
Improvement is the neutral everyday word, while betterment sounds more formal and idealistic.
advancement
Advancement emphasizes progress forward, often in status or career, while betterment stresses becoming better.
progress
Progress describes moving toward a goal and is broader than betterment, which focuses on improved conditions.
amelioration
Amelioration is a very formal word for making something less bad, while betterment is wider and more positive.

Opposites

deteriorationdecline

Word family

better adjective
Of higher quality or more suitable.
better verb
To improve something or surpass it.

Commonly confused: betterment or bettor?

betterment vs bettor

A bettor is someone who places bets; betterment means improvement.

Practice

The charity was founded for the ______ of the neighborhood's young people, offering free classes and sports.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “betterment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words