betterment

noun
bet·​ter·​ment | \ ˈbe-tər-mənt How to pronounce betterment (audio) \

Definition of betterment

1 : a making or becoming better
2 : an improvement that adds to the value of a property or facility

Examples of betterment in a Sentence

working for the betterment of the lives of working people

Recent Examples on the Web

The number of people who are willing to give their time for the betterment of other people is a wonderful thing. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, "At Least 3 People — Including Boy, 6 — Killed in Shooting at California Garlic Festival," 29 July 2019 How does a smart investor act when his goal is to promote the long-term betterment of the world? Ray D. Madoff, WSJ, "The Case for Giving Money Away Now," 16 June 2019 The Krannert Charitable Trust also gave millions of dollars for the betterment of Indianapolis. Peter Krouse, cleveland.com, "Under Unigov, Indianapolis had access to more money for economic development: Cleveland 2030, A Way Forward," 11 July 2019 Some tackled self perception and expectations, while others drew inspiration and betterment from sessions focused on relationships. Alexa Lisitza, Teen Vogue, "The Best Advice from Therapists, From 50 Different People," 9 July 2019 Their purpose is corporate engagement — not the betterment of any specific race. Audrey Farley, Longreads, "We Still Don’t Know How to Navigate the Cultural Legacy of Eugenics," 20 June 2019 The common focus for many of the companies seems to be empowering women, individuals of color, and the betterment of lives—both professionally and personally. Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Serena Williams Has Secretly Been Investing in Diverse Companies for the Past 5 Years," 17 Apr. 2019 In several of Allam’s interviews for the book, female protesters would root their inspiration in nationalism or social betterment, not feminism. Kim Yi Dionne, Washington Post, "This book helps us understand women’s participation in the Egyptian uprising," 8 June 2018 By curbing donations, the DOC uses supposed drug smuggling as a pretext for denying prisoners the pursuit of knowledge, happiness, and personal betterment. Constance Grady, Vox, "The time has come to choose the Oddest Book Title of the Year," 3 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'betterment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of betterment

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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More Definitions for betterment

betterment

noun

English Language Learners Definition of betterment

: the act or result of making something better

betterment

noun
bet·​ter·​ment | \ ˈbe-tər-mənt How to pronounce betterment (audio) \

Kids Definition of betterment

: the act or result of making something more satisfactory : improvement Workers sought the betterment of working conditions.

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