bettering 1 of 2

adjective

as in constructive

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

bettering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of better
1
as in surpassing
to be greater, better, or stronger than this year's profits should better last year's by a wide margin

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in improving
to make better social workers and reformers trying to better the lives of inner-city residents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bettering
Verb
Forty-three percent of US adults say the federal government is effective at bettering people’s lives, down from 51% in 2025, according to a new Bentley University-Gallup survey. — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026 As a senator, her priorities include supporting economic development, bettering police and community relations, securing funding for educational programs and passing policies for affordable housing, according to her campaign website. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026 Parton dedicated her life and career to bettering the world in so many ways, from her Dollywood theme park to her Imagination Library, which has promoted childhood literacy through delivering millions of books to children. — Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2026 His revered mentor, José Antonio Abreu, who founded the educational program in 1975 with the conviction that learning music can, in bettering lives, lead to profound social change. — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026 One event of note is the City of Milwaukee Police Department's District 5 National Night Out, aimed at bettering the relationship between law enforcement and the community through a fun night of games. — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 31 July 2026 Asking for feedback is only one step of the process in bettering your organization. — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 Second in Austria marked Verstappen’s best result of the season — bettering his third in Canada. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 29 June 2026 Arbitrarily limiting that possibility has nothing to do with bettering the game and everything to do with limiting what ownership spends. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bettering
  1. constructive
  2. surpassing
  3. improving
  4. supportive
  5. exceeding
  6. enhancing
  7. gainful
  8. eclipsing
Adjective
  • This is what physicists call decoherence—the inability of many waves to show strong constructive interference.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The complaint accuses the defendants of financial elder abuse, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud and conversion.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of constructive
Verb
  • But in terms of student achievement, Asian students have performed more like white students, frequently surpassing white students academically.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Simulating real-world quantum errors Last year, JUPITER simulated a full 50-qubit universal quantum computer under ideal, noiseless conditions, surpassing the previous 48-qubit record established by Jülich researchers in 2019 on Japan’s K computer.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of surpassing
Verb
  • The performance of hydrocarbons must be considered as part of a wider system that is simultaneously scaling clean electricity input and improving efficiency across the value chain.
    — H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Voters in DeKalb County will decide whether to renew a special one-cent sales tax that goes toward improving schools.
    — Emily McLeod, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of improving
Adjective
  • The Snow’s pressure-relieving foam combined with supportive springs results in a bed that’s comfortable, but not plush to a fault.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The nuns modeled how to create a sustaining, supportive community.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of supportive
Verb
  • Bianco’s representative last week filed a claim for damages exceeding $10,000.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo is off to a strong start, with delivery wait times exceeding three months.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of exceeding
Verb
  • The finishing touch should be a shine-enhancing hair gloss to blend the blonde tones seamlessly into the brunette strands.
    — Jacqueline Kilikita, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The initiative was part of the retailer’s aim to support new talents and its increasing focus on enhancing its brand awareness globally.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of enhancing
Adjective
  • But gainful employment and truly gainful employment — that is, with more pay and status — are two different things.
    — Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The move by the shop owner launched a flurry of online discourse about the tripod-wielding gaggle of usually young, almost always female influencers who parade their phones around in the hopes of building, or nurturing, a gainful following.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of gainful
Verb
  • Across the broader ecosystem, major Republican organizations had roughly $1 billion available, eclipsing the $579 million available for comparable Democratic groups, according to a CNBC analysis of FEC filings.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For Spring/ Summer 2027, established ambassadors and global fandoms continued to drive social engagement, with Thai drama stars eclipsing K-pop idols for the first time to dominate the overall ranking.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of eclipsing

Browse Nearby Words

better halves
bettering
betterment
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Cite this Entry

“Bettering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bettering. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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