improvement

The word “improvement” means a change that makes something better, or the process of becoming better. In plain terms, a change for the better, or the act of making something better.

“Improvement” is pronounced ihm-PROOV-muhnt (/ɪmˈpɹuːvmənt/ in IPA).

Here is “improvement” used in a sentence: “There's been a real improvement in his attitude lately.”

Words with a similar meaning to “improvement” include improval and amelioration.

The opposite of “improvement” — its antonyms — are worsening, deterioration and disimprovement.

“Improvement” is a noun.

The word “improvement” comes from Anglo-Norman. From Anglo-Norman emprouwement; equivalent to improve + -ment.

“Improvement” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Development is growth or change over time, which can be neutral — simply becoming larger or more advanced. Improvement always means change for the better. A development might make something bigger yet worse, while an improvement, by definition, makes it better than it was before.

Fixing a slow website so it loads faster is an improvement. So is a student's grade rising from a C to an A, or a renovation that adds a new room. Anything that leaves something better than it was — in quality, condition or performance — counts as an improvement.

Continuous improvement is the practice of making many small, ongoing changes for the better rather than one big overhaul. Widely used in business and manufacturing, it assumes that any process can always be refined a little further, and that steady small gains add up over time.

The opposites describe change for the worse — decline, deterioration, worsening or regression. If an improvement makes something better, deterioration makes it worse. A setback is a smaller, temporary step backward after a period of progress.