improvement

English Online Dictionary. What means improvement‎? What does improvement mean?

English

Alternative forms

• emprovement (obsolete)

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman emprouwement. By surface analysis, improve +‎ -ment.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmˈpɹuːvmənt/
• Hyphenation: im‧prove‧ment

Noun

improvement (countable and uncountable, plural improvements)

1. The act of improving; advancement or growth; a bettering
   • November 9, 1662, Robert South, Of the Creation of Man in the Image of God

     I look upon your city as […] the best place of improvement.
2. The act of making profitable use or application of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; practical application, for example of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse.
3. The state of being improved; betterment; advance
4. Something which is improved
5. Increase; growth; progress; advance.
6. (in the plural) Valuable additions or betterments, for example buildings, clearings, drains, fences, etc., on premises.
7. (Patent Laws): A useful addition to, or modification of, a machine, manufacture, or composition.

Synonyms

• improval, amelioration

Antonyms

• worsening
• deterioration
• disimprovement

Hyponyms

• self-improvement

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• uplift

References

“improvement”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English improvement.

Noun

improvement m (invariable)

1. (rare) improvement

   Synonyms: miglioramento, perfezionamento