better

1 of 5

adjective

bet·​ter ˈbe-tər 

comparative of good

1

: greater than half

for the better part of an hour

2

: improved in health or mental attitude

feeling better

3

: more attractive, favorable, or commendable

in better circumstances

4

: more advantageous or effective

a better solution

5

: improved in accuracy or performance

building a better engine

better

2 of 5

verb

bettered; bettering; betters

transitive verb

1

: to make better (see better entry 1): such as

a

: to make more tolerable or acceptable

trying to better the lot of slum dwellers

b

: to make more complete or perfect

looked forward to bettering her acquaintance with the new neighbors

2

: to surpass in excellence : excel

bettered his personal record by nearly three seconds

intransitive verb

: to become better

… must be bettering instead of worsening.

—Thomas Carlyle

better

3 of 5

adverb

comparative of well

1

a

: in a more excellent manner

sings better than I do

b

: to greater advantage : preferably

some things are better left unsaid

2

a

: to a higher or greater degree

he knows the story better than you do

b

: more

it is better than nine miles to the next town

better

4 of 5

noun

1

a

: something better (see better entry 1)

I expected better from them

b

: a superior especially in merit or rank

was respectful of his betters

2

: advantage, victory

get the better of her

better

5 of 5

auxiliary verb

: had better (see better entry 3 sense 1b)

you better hurry

Synonyms

Verb

• beat
• eclipse
• exceed
• excel
• outclass
• outdistance
• outdo
• outgun
• outmatch
• outshine
• outstrip
• overtop
• surpass
• top
• tower (over)
• transcend

Adverb

• more

Noun

• elder
• senior
• superior

Choose the Right Synonym for better

improve, better, help, ameliorate mean to make more acceptable or to bring nearer a standard.

improve and better are general and interchangeable and apply to what can be made better whether it is good or bad.

measures to further improve the quality of medical care

immigrants hoping to better their lot

help implies a bettering that still leaves room for improvement.

a coat of paint would help that house

ameliorate implies making more tolerable or acceptable conditions that are hard to endure.

tried to ameliorate the lives of people in the tenements

Examples of better in a Sentence

Adjective

Her second book is better than her first one.

This one is no better than that one.

She's a better golfer than I am.

He's a better singer than he is an actor.

He's much better with children now that he's a father himself.

The weather is better today than it was yesterday.

They came up with a better solution to the problem.

Don't you have something better to do than to watch TV all day?

Her work wasn't that good at first, but it's getting better.

Her work just keeps getting better and better.

Verb

They are trying to better the lives of working people.

He looked forward to bettering his acquaintance with the new neighbors.

The team has bettered its chances of winning the championship.

She bettered her previous performance.

He set a record that has never been equaled or bettered.

Adverb

“How is she doing in school?” “She did badly at first, but now she's doing much better.”

She sings better than I do.

He sings better than he acts.

“Instead of writing to her, I'm going to visit her in person.” “Even better.”

He knows the story much better than you do.

Her paintings have become better known in recent years.

There's nothing I'd like better than to see you again.

Noun

They shouldn't treat him that way. He deserves better.

be polite to your betters and to your inferiors in equal measure

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And that same place gives the Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys better odds of winning the Super Bowl than the Lions at plus-2,000. —Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, 20 July 2023

Implementing better protocol for detection and providing translation services to parents in these areas is essential so they can get diagnosed and referred, said Beckerman. —Nada Hassanein, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2023

Verb

The song peaked at No .3 on the Billboard Hot 100, bettering its placement of No. 30 upon its original release, and topped the U.K. Singles Chart for three weeks to give Bush her second No. 1 single. —Thomas Smith, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024

Being a council member provides a greater opportunity to have an immediate impact on bettering the material conditions of the residents of the district. —Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024

Adverb

The Institute founded in his name partners with the National Football League, Gatorade, the National Athletic Trainers' Association and others to better understand and manage heat risks to athletes. —The Arizona Republic, 9 Feb. 2023

In addition, Most of the activities that hybrid employees carry out–such as focused individual tasks, asynchronous communication, and video meetings–are better done at home. —Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 8 Feb. 2023

Noun

Conversely, credit card delinquencies declined for sports betters, a trend that showed up a couple years after legalization and surprised Hollenbeck. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 26 July 2024

These elites believe parents, shoppers, and business owners cannot be trusted to weigh costs and benefits for themselves; they must be manipulated by their betters. —Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2024

Auxiliary verb

Giving an Osprey gift card allows your recipient to pick up the right goods to better their adventures—perhaps an accessory for their new Poco SLT, like a sunshade with SPF 50. —Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024

Every one of those guests wants a top ski instructor, and booking them has turned into a high-stakes competition to better the best. —Stacey Lastoe, Robb Report, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English betere, bettere, bettre, better, going back to Old English betera, betra, bettra, going back to Germanic *batizōn (whence also Old Frisian betera, betra, Old Saxon betara, Old High German bezziro, Old Icelandic betri, Gothic batiza), comparative degree of an otherwise unattested adjective from a base *bat-, whence also, with lengthened o-grade, *bōtō "improvement," whence Old English bōt "a making good, remedy, improvement, atonement," Old Frisian bōte "atonement, compensation," Old Saxon bōta "remedy, aid, deliverance," Old High German buoza "amendment, remedy, penance, punishment," Old Icelandic bót "remedy, atonement, compensation," Gothic bota "usefulness, profit"; *bat- perhaps going back to Indo-European *b^hHd-, zero-grade of a root *b^heHd-, whence also Sanskrit bhadráḥ "fortunate, blessed, delightful," Avestan hubaδra- "fortunate" (< *b^hoHd-ro, with loss of H before an unaspirated voiced stop)

Note: As do other European languages, Germanic forms the comparative and superlative degrees of the adjective meaning "good" from a different base than the positive degree; compare good entry 1, best entry 1. This Indo-European etymology follows G. Kroonen, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Brill, 2009), which for the rule of H loss refers to A. Lubotsky, "Gr. pḗgnumi : Skt. pajrá- and loss of laryngeals before mediae in Indo-Iranian," Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissenschaft, Band 40 (1981), pp. 133-38. Other opinions, however, are not in favor of the connection, or agnostic. See A. L. Lloyd and O. Springer, Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Band 1, s.v. baz, where the history of the etymology is traced. M. Mayrhofer maintained that Sanskrit bhadrá- should rather be connected with bhándate "is praised, receives praise" (see Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen, Band 2 [Heidelberg, 1996], p. 244).

Verb

Middle English betteren, bettren "to improve, remedy, have the advantage," going back to Old English beterian "to improve, make better," going back to Germanic *batizōjan- (whence also Old Frisian beteria, betria "to atone, improve," Old Saxon betaron "to mend," Old High German bezzirōn "to improve, enrich," Old Icelandic betra "to improve"), verbal derivative of *batizōn better entry 1

Note: In English and other Germanic languages this verb has been augmented by re-formation from the comparative adjective. Note that evidence for the English verb is practically non-existent between Old English and ca. 1400.

Adverb

Middle English bettre, betere, derivative of betere better entry 1

Note: This formation replaces early Modern English, Middle English, and Old English bet, the original Germanic adverbial counterpart to better entry 1

Noun

Middle English bettre, betere, going back to Old English betere, noun derivative of betera, betra better entry 1

Auxiliary verb

by ellipsis from had better

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adverb

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Auxiliary Verb

1817, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing better

• a change for the better
• against one's better judgment
• all the better
• better angels
• better half
• better luck next time
• better-off
• better oneself
• better the devil you know than the devil you don't
• couldn't be worse/better
• discretion is the better part of valor
• doesn't know (any) better
• for better or (for) worse
• for the better
• get better acquainted
• get the better of
• go one better
• greater/better/more than the sum of its parts
• had better
• (it's) better (to be) safe than sorry
• know better
• know better than to
• little better than
• no better
• old enough to know better
• prevention is better than cure
• so much the better
• take a turn for the worse/better
• taken a turn for the better
• the best/better/greater part of
• the less said, the better
• think better of
• two heads are better than one
• you/you'd better believe it

Kids Definition

better

1 of 4 adjective

bet·​ter ˈbet-ər 

comparative of good entry 1

1

: improved in health

2

: of higher quality

better

2 of 4 adverb

comparative of well

1

: in a more excellent manner

2

a

: to a higher or greater degree

knows the story better than I do

b

: more entry 2

better than an hour's drive to the lake

better

3 of 4 noun

1

a

: a better thing or state

a change for the better

b

: a superior especially in merit or rank

be respectful of your betters

2

: advantage sense 1

get the better of someone

better

4 of 4 verb

1

: to make better

2

: to be or do better than