English Explanatory Dictionary

better

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. comparative degree of good and well
  2. Greater in amount or quantity
  3. Greater or lesser (whichever is seen as more advantageous), in reference to value, distance, time, etc.
  4. Healed or recovered from an injury or illness.
adv
  1. comparative form of well: more well
noun
  1. An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior.
verb
  1. Had better.
verb
  1. To improve.
  2. To become better; to improve.
  3. To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel.
  4. To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of.
noun
  1. Alternative spelling of bettor.

Pronunciation

/ˈbɛt.ə/ [ˈbɛtʰ.ə] [ˈbeɾ.ə] [ˈbeɾ.ɐ] [ˈbeʔ.ə] [ˈbɛʔ.ɐ] /ˈbɛt.əɹ/ [ˈbɛɾ.ɚ] en-us-better.ogg [ˈbɛtʰ.ɚ~ˈbɛθ̠.ɚ~ˈbɛt̪.ɚ] [ˈbɛʔ.ɚ~ˈbɛʔ.əɾ]

Word forms

better good well betterer best betterest betters bettering bettered no-table-tags glossary

Etymology

From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-West Germanic *batiʀō, from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰed-rós, from *bʰed- (“good”). Cognate with Dutch beter, German besser, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål bedre, Norwegian Nynorsk betre, Swedish bättre, Faroese and Icelandic betri. Also Sanskrit भ॒द्र (bhadrá, “blessed; fortunate; happy; good”) (from *bʰn̥d-ró-s). Related to best and battle (“getting better; improving; fruitful; fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), bót (“improvement”), German besser. More at batten, boot. False cognate of Persian بهتر (behtar).

Synonyms

top

Related words

best

Derived words

against one's better judgment all to the better an ounce of prevention is better than an ounce of cure an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure are you feeling better better and better better an egg today than a hen tomorrow better angels better angels of one's nature better angels of someone's nature better ball better Dead than Red better for it betterfy better half betterhood betterish better is the enemy of good better-known better known as better late than never better light better luck next time better nature betterness better off better one word in time than two afterwards better-paid better part of better place better safe than sorry bettership bettersome better than a kick in the teeth better than a poke in the eye better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick better than a poke in the eye with a rusty nail better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick better than a poke in the eye with a shitty stick better than nothing better than sex better the devil you know than the devil you don't better the devil you know than the devil you don't know better the devil you know than the one you don't better the devil you know than the one you don't know better to be late than be dead on time better to light a candle than to curse the darkness better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness better to light one candle than to curse the darkness better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness build a better mousetrap build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door discretion is the better part of valor discretion is the better part of valour do someone one better embetter for better or for worse for better or worse for the better get better
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