improve

English

Alternative forms

• emprove (obsolete)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman emprouwer, from Old French en- + prou (“profit”), from Vulgar Latin prode (“advantageous, profitable”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹuːv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːv

Verb

improve (third-person singular simple present improves, present participle improving, simple past and past participle improved)

1. (transitive) To make (something) better; to increase the value or productivity (of something).

   Painting the woodwork will improve this house.

   Buying more servers would improve performance.

   • 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:

     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.

2. (intransitive) To become better.

   I have improved since taking the tablets.

   The error messages have improved since the last version, when they were incomprehensible.

   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC, page 41:

     “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.”

3. (obsolete) To disprove or make void; to refute.
   • 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:

     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.

4. (obsolete) To disapprove of; to find fault with; to reprove; to censure.
   • 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:

     [W]hen he reherſed his preachinge and his doynges vnto the hye Apoſtles / they coulde improve no thinge […]

   • [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 218:

     You would improve his negligence, too oft to ease retir’d: […]

     The spelling has been modernized.

5. (dated) To use or employ to good purpose; to turn to profitable account.

   to improve one's time;  to improve his means

   • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number). The Reward of Honouring God”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

     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

   • 1711 July 18 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, 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 96:

     [A] hint that I do not remember to have seen opened and improved […]

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1715, Isaac Watts, Against Idleness and Mischief:

     How doth the little busy bee / Improve each shining hour.

   • 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 392:

     [T]he court has alſo an opportunity, which it ſeldom fails to improve, […]

   • March 7, 1778, George Washington, letter

     True policy, as well as good faith, in my opinion, binds us to improve the occasion.

Synonyms

• (to make something better): ameliorate, better, batten, enhance; See also Thesaurus:improve

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “to make something worse”): deteriorate, worsen; See also Thesaurus:aggravate
• (antonym(s) of “to become worse”): deteriorate, worsen; See also Thesaurus:worsen

Derived terms

• improvement
• improve on
• improver
• improve the occasion
• improve upon
• improving
• improving agent
• improving lease
• on the improve
• self-improve

 

Translations

to make something better

• Abkhaz: please add this translation if you can
• Afrikaans: verbeter (af)
• Albanian: përmirësoj (sq)
• American Sign Language: B@TipForearm-PalmBack B@Forearm-PalmBack B@BaseForearm-PalmBack
• Arabic: حَسَّنَ (ar) (ḥassana)
• Armenian: բարելավել (hy) (barelavel), լավացնել (hy) (lavacʻnel), կատարելագործել (hy) (katarelagorcel), զարգացնել (hy) (zargacʻnel)
• Asturian: ameyorar, meyorar
• Avar: лъикӏлъизабизе (lˢikʼlˢizabize)
• Azerbaijani: yaxşilaşdirmaq, təkmilləşdirmək, mükəmməlləşdirmək
• Basque: hobetu
• Belarusian: паляпша́ць impf (paljapšácʹ), пале́пшыць pf (paljépšycʹ)
• Breton: gwellaat (br)
• Bulgarian: подобря́вам (bg) impf (podobrjávam), подобря́ pf (podobrjá), усъвърше́нствам impf (usǎvǎršénstvam)
• Catalan: millorar (ca)
• Chechen: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 改善 (zh) (gǎishàn), 提高 (zh) (tígāo)

• Cornish: gwellhe
• Czech: zlepšovat impf, zlepšit (cs) pf, vylepšovat impf, vylepšit (cs) pf
• Danish: forbedre (da)
• Dutch: beter maken, verbeteren (nl)
• Esperanto: plibonigi
• Finnish: parantaa (fi)
• French: améliorer (fr), amender (fr)
• Galician: mellorar (gl)
• Georgian: აუმჯობესებს (aumǯobesebs)
• German: verbessern (de)
• Gothic: 𐌱𐍉𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bōtjan)
• Greek: βελτιώνω (el) (veltióno)
• Hebrew: שיפר \ שִׁפֵּר (he) (shippér)
• Hindi: सुधरना (hi) (sudharnā)
• Hungarian: javít (hu), tökéletesít (hu)
• Ido: bonigar (io)
• Ingrian: parentaa
• Interlingua: meliorar
• Irish: leasaigh, cuir feabhas ar
• Italian: migliorare (it), perfezionare (it), fare migliorie
• Japanese: 改良する (ja) (かいりょうする, kairyō suru), 改善する (ja) (かいぜんする, kaizen suru), 良くする (ja) (よくする, yoku suru)
• Korean: 개선하다 (ko) (gaeseonhada)
• Latin: meliorem facio
• Macedonian: подобрува impf (podobruva), подобри pf (podobri)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: whakapai, whakawhanake
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Ngazidja Comorian: urekeɓesha
• Norman: amender
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forbedre (no)

• Occitan: amelhorar
• Old English: æþelian
• Oromo: wayyeessuu
• Ossetian: фӕхуыздӕр кӕнын (fæx°yzdær kænyn)
• Persian: بهبود دادن (behbud dâdan)
• Polish: poprawiać (pl) impf, poprawić (pl) pf, ulepszać (pl) impf, ulepszyć (pl) pf, polepszać (pl) impf, polepszyć pf, usprawniać impf, usprawnić pf
• Portuguese: melhorar (pt)
• Romanian: îmbunătăți (ro)
• Romansch: meglierar
• Russian: улучша́ть (ru) impf (ulučšátʹ), улу́чшить (ru) pf (ulúčšitʹ), соверше́нствовать (ru) impf (soveršénstvovatʹ), нала́дить (ru) pf (naláditʹ), поправля́ть (ru) impf (popravljátʹ), попра́вить (ru) pf (poprávitʹ), нала́живать (ru) impf (naláživatʹ), нала́дить (ru) pf (naláditʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: побољша́вати impf, побо̀љшати pf

  Roman: poboljšávati (sh) impf, pobòljšati (sh) pf

• Slovak: zlepšovať impf, zlepšiť pf, vylepšovať impf, vylepšiť pf
• Slovene: izboljševati impf, izboljšati pf
• Spanish: mejorar (es), perfeccionar (es), embonar (es)
• Swedish: förbättra (sv)
• Tagalog: pagandahin, ayusin (tl)
• Thai: ปรับปรุง (th) (bpràp-bprung)
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: düzeltmek (tr)
• Tuvan: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: полі́пшувати impf (polípšuvaty), полі́пшити pf (polípšyty), покра́щувати impf (pokráščuvaty), покра́щити pf (pokráščyty)
• Vietnamese: cải thiện (vi), cải tiến (vi)
• Volapük: gudükumön (vo)
• Welsh: gwella (cy)
• Yiddish: פֿאַרבעסערן (farbesern)

to become better

• American Sign Language: B@TipForearm-PalmBack B@Forearm-PalmBack B@BaseForearm-PalmBack
• Arabic: تَحَسَّنَ (taḥassana)
• Armenian: լավանալ (hy) (lavanal), բարելավվել (hy) (barelavvel), զարգանալ (hy) (zarganal)
• Asturian: ameyorar, meyorar
• Azerbaijani: yaxşılaşmaq, təkmilləşmək, mükəmməlləşmək
• Belarusian: паляпша́цца impf (paljapšácca), пале́пшыцца pf (paljépšycca)
• Bulgarian: подобря́вам се (bg) impf (podobrjávam se), подобря́ се pf (podobrjá se)
• Catalan: millorar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 改善 (zh) (gǎishàn), 提高 (zh) (tígāo), 向上 (zh) (xiàngshàng)

• Czech: zlepšovat se impf, zlepšit se (cs) pf, vylepšovat se impf, vylepšit se (cs) pf
• Danish: forbedre sig (da)
• Dutch: beteren (nl)
• Finnish: parantua (fi)
• French: s’améliorer (fr)
• Galician: mellorar (gl)
• German: sich verbessern (de)
• Greek: βελτιώνομαι (el) (veltiónomai)
• Hebrew: הִשְׁתַּפֵּר (hishtapér)
• Hungarian: gyógyul (hu), javul (hu), meggyógyul (hu), megjavul (hu), rendbe jön, talpra áll (hu)
• Ingrian: pareta, mukahua
• Irish: téigh i bhfeabhas
• Italian: migliorare (it), stare meglio, riprendersi (it)
• Japanese: 好転する (ja) (こうてんする, kōten suru), 良くなる (ja) (よくなる, yoku naru)
• Korean: 개선되다 (ko) (gaeseondoeda)
• Latin: melior fio, melius fio
• Macedonian: се подобрува impf (se podobruva), се подобри pf (se podobri)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forbedre seg (no)

• Oromo: fooyyessuu
• Persian: بهبود یافتن (fa) (behbud yâftan)
• Polish: poprawiać się (pl) impf, poprawić się (pl) pf
• Portuguese: melhorar (pt)
• Quechua: allinyay
• Romanian: a se îmbunătăți
• Russian: улучша́ться (ru) impf (ulučšátʹsja), улу́чшиться (ru) pf (ulúčšitʹsja), поправля́ться (ru) impf (popravljátʹsja), попра́виться (ru) pf (poprávitʹsja), нала́живаться (ru) impf (naláživatʹsja), нала́диться (ru) pf (naláditʹsja)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: побољша́вати се impf, побо̀љшати се pf

  Roman: poboljšávati se (sh) impf, pobòljšati se (sh) pf

• Slovak: zlepšovať sa impf, zlepšiť sa pf, vylepšovať sa impf, vylepšiť sa pf
• Slovene: izboljševati se impf, izboljšati se pf
• Spanish: mejorar (es)
• Swahili: boresha (sw)
• Swedish: bli bättre, förbättras (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: iyileştirmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: полі́пшуватися impf (polípšuvatysja), полі́пшитися pf (polípšytysja), покра́щуватися impf (pokráščuvatysja), покра́щитися pf (pokráščytysja)
• Vietnamese: cải thiện (vi)
• Volapük: gudikumön (vo)
• Welsh: gwella (cy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} మెరుగుపరచు (te) (meruguparacu) (transitive) ^{(please verify)} మెరుగుపడు (merugupaḍu)
• Yucatec Maya: ^{(please verify)} ma’alobkin, ^{(please verify)} ma’alobtal

Further reading

• "improve" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 160.