better

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛtə/ (Panda–pander merger)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [ˈbɛ̝tʰə~ˈbɛ̝ʔə]
  • (Australia, New Zealand) IPA^(key): [ˈbeɾə]
• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛtəɹ/
  • (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): [ˈbɛɾɚ], [ˈbeʔɚ] (typically younger speakers)
  • (Ireland) IPA^(key): [ˈbɛtʰɚ~ˈbɛθ̠ɚ]
  • (Scotland) IPA^(key): [ˈbɛʔɚ~ˈbɛʔəɾ]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtə, -ɛtə(r)
• Hyphenation: bet‧ter

Etymology 1

From Middle English better, bettre, betre, from Old English betera (“better”), from Proto-Germanic *batizô (“better”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhAd- (“good”). Cognate with Sanskrit भद्र (bhadrá, “blessed, fortunate, happy, good”). For Germanic cognates: see Proto-Germanic *batizô. Verb is from Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian (“to make better, improve”). Related to best and battle (“getting better, improving, fruitful, fertile”). Compare also Icelandic batna (“to improve”), Icelandic bót (“improvement”). More at batten, boot.

Adjective

better

1. comparative form of good: more good
   • 2002 November 1, “Shindig”, in Firefly, episode 4:

     Badger: You think you're better than other people.
     Mal: Just the ones I'm better than.

2. comparative form of well: more well

Alternative forms

• betta
• bettuh
• sometimes humorously elongated, like: betterererer, betterererererer

Derived terms

Terms derived from better (adjective)

• better angels
• better dead than red
• better half
• betterness
• better off
• better part of

• bettership
• better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick
• better than nothing
• get better
• know better
• make a better door than a window

Related terms

• best

Translations

comparative of the adjectives good or well

• Alviri-Vidari:

  Vidari: ودرتر‏‎ (vaderter)

• Arabic: أَفْضَل‏‎ (ʾafḍal), أَحْسَن‏‎ (ʾaḥsan)
• Armenian: ավելի լավ (aveli lav)
• Assamese: -কৈ ভাল (-kôi bhal)
• Basque: hobe
• Breton: gwell (br), gwelloc'h (br)
• Bulgarian: по-добър (po-dobǎr)
• Catalan: millor (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 更好 (zh) (gènghǎo), 比較好的, 比较好的 (bǐjiào hǎo de), 較好的, 较好的 (jiào hǎo de)

• Czech: lepší (cs)
• Danish: bedre
• Dutch: beter (nl)
• Esperanto: pli bona
• Estonian: parem
• Faroese: betri
• Finnish: parempi (fi)
• French: meilleur (fr)
• Friulian: miôr
• Galician: mellor
• Georgian: უკეთესი (uḳetesi), უმჯობესი (umǯobesi)
• German: besser (de)
• Gothic: 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌶𐌰 (batiza)
• Greek: καλύτερος (el) m (kalýteros) (kalýteros)
• Hindi: बेहतर (hi) (behtar)
• Hungarian: jobb (hu)
• Icelandic: betri (is)
• Ido: plu bona (io), maxim (io)
• Interlingua: melior
• Irish: níos fearr
• Italian: migliore (it), meglio (it)
• Japanese: もっといい (motto ii), より良い (yoriyoi)
• Karelian: parempi
• Korean: 더 좋은 (deo joheun)
• Ladin: miec
• Latin: melior (la)
• Lojban: xauzma

• Macedonian: подобар (pódobar)
• Malay: lebih baik, lebih bagus
• Neapolitan: meglio
• Norman: miyeu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bedre (no)

  Nynorsk: betre

• Occitan: melhor (oc)
• Persian: بِهتَر‏‎ (fa) (behtar), بختر‏‎ (bextar) (dialectal)
• Polish: lepszy (pl) m
• Portuguese: melhor (pt)
• Romanian: mai bun, mai bine
• Romansch: meglier
• Russian: лу́чше (ru) (lúčše)
• Sardinian: megnus, mellus
• Scottish Gaelic: feàrr
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бо̏ље̄

  Roman: bȍljē (sh), bolji (sh) m

• Sicilian: megghiu (scn)
• Slovak: lepší
• Slovene: bóljši (sl)
• Spanish: mejor (es)
• Swahili: bora (sw)
• Swedish: bättre (sv)
• Thai: ดีกว่า
• Turkish: daha iyi
• Ukrainian: ліпше (lípše)
• Urdu: بہتر‏‎ (behtar)
• Venetian: mejo
• Veps: paremba
• Vietnamese: tốt hơn, khá hơn; khoẻ hơn (comparative form of well, as in "healthier")
• Volapük: gudikum
• Võro: parõmb
• Welsh: gwell (cy)
• Yakut: бэт (bet)
• Yiddish: בעסער‏‎ (beser)

Adverb

better

1. comparative form of well: more well
   • 1901, Louis Couperus, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (translator), Small Souls,

     “I’ve had enough of cycling with you chaps. I can spend my Sundays better than in tormenting cats and quarrelling and fighting.”

2. More, in reference to value, distance, time, etc.

   ten miles and better

Derived terms

• better the devil you know
• had better
• 'd better

Related terms

• best

Translations

comparative form of the adverb well

• Armenian: ավելի լավ (aveli lav)
• Bulgarian: по-добре (po-dobre)
• Danish: bedre
• Dutch: beter (nl)
• French: mieux (fr)
• Friulian: miei, miôr
• Georgian: ჯობს (ǯobs), ჯობია (ka) (ǯobia)
• German: besser (de)
• Greek: καλύτερα (el) (kalýtera), κάλλιο (el) (kállio) (literary)
• Hindi: (behtar)
• Hungarian: jobban (hu)
• Icelandic: betur (is)
• Interlingua: melio

• Italian: meglio (it)
• Latvian: labāk
• Ngazidja Comorian: ndro raha
• Norwegian: bedre (no)
• Polish: lepiej (pl)
• Portuguese: melhor (pt)
• Romanian: mai bine, mai bun
• Russian: лу́чше (ru) (lúčše)
• Slovene: bólje, bóljše
• Spanish: mejor (es), mejores (es) pl
• Swahili: bora (sw)
• Swedish: bättre (sv)
• Volapük: gudikumo

Noun

better (plural betters)

1. An entity, usually animate, deemed superior to another; one who has a claim to precedence; a superior.

   He quickly found Ali his better in the ring.

   • Hooker

     Their betters would hardly be found.

Derived terms

• get the better of

Etymology 2

From Middle English beteren, from Old English beterian, betrian, from Proto-Germanic *batizōną. Cognate with West Frisian betterje (“to better”), Dutch beteren (“to better”), German bessern (“to better”), Danish bedre (“to better”), Swedish bättra (“to better”).

Verb

better (third-person singular simple present betters, present participle bettering, simple past and past participle bettered)

1. (transitive) To improve.
   • Wordsworth

     Love betters what is best.

   • Thackeray

     He thought to better his circumstances.

   • Macaulay

     the constant effort of every man to better himself

2. (intransitive) To become better; to improve.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Carlyle to this entry?)

3. (transitive) To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel.
   • Hooker

     The works of nature do always aim at that which can not be bettered.

4. (transitive) To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of.
   • Milton

     Weapons more violent, when next we meet, / May serve to better us and worse our foes.

5. (colloquial) Had better.

   You better do that if you know what's good for you.

Derived terms

• betterer
• betterment

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:improve

Translations

to improve

• Bulgarian: подобрявам (bg) (podobrjavam)
• Catalan: millorar (ca)
• Esperanto: plibonigi
• French: améliorer (fr)
• Friulian: miorâ
• Georgian: გაუმჯობესება (gaumǯobeseba), გამოსწორება (gamosc̣oreba)
• Italian: migliorare (it)
• Norwegian: forbedre (no)
• Persian: بهبودن‏‎, بهبودی‏‎ (fa)

• Polish: poprawiać / poprawić, polepszać / polepszyć
• Portuguese: melhorar (pt)
• Romanian: îmbunătăți (ro)
• Spanish: mejorar (es)
• Swahili: bora (sw)
• Swedish: förbättra (sv)
• Volapük: gudükumön (vo)
• Welsh: gwella (cy)

Etymology 3

Alternate pronunciation of bettor or modern formation from the verb to bet.

Noun

better (plural betters)

1. Alternative spelling of bettor

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923 in Project Gutenberg: going · knew · seen · #207: better · name · among · done

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Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• botter, bötter (Eifel)

Etymology

From Old High German bittar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbetʌ/

Adjective

better (masculine bettere, feminine better, comparative betterer, superlative et betterste)

1. (most dialects) bitter

   Mösse es e better Krock.

   To be obliged is a bitter herb. (A proverb.)

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Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛtər]

Adjective

better

1. comparative degree of guid

Derived terms

Derived terms

• better-faured (“better-featured, better-looking”)
• bettermaist (“better-class”)
• betterment (“improvement”)

• betterness (“recovery”)
• the better o that (“the better for that”)

Adverb

better (comparative mair better, superlative maist better)

1. better
2. quite recovered from illness
3. more than

Noun

better (uncountable)

1. that which is better, something better or superior

Verb

better (third-person singular present betters, present participle betterin, past bettert, past participle bettert)

1. to better, improve

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West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian betera, from Proto-Germanic *batizô. Compare English better, Low German beter, Dutch beter, German besser, Danish bedre.

Adjective

better

1. better