Improvement is the process of a thing moving from one state to a state considered to be better, usually through some action intended to bring about that better state. The concept of improvement is important to governments and businesses, as well as to individuals.
History of the conceptEdit
The term «improvement» in general means «gradual, piecemeal, but cumulative betterment», which can refer to both individuals and societies as a whole.[1] The term «improvement» historically referred to land improvement, the process of making wildland more suitable for human uses, particularly the cultivation of crops.[2] Agricultural writers contrasted «improvement» with the traditional custom that governed farming practices at the time. The belief in agricultural «improvement» was the belief that the earth could be made more fruitful. More specifically, it was the belief that «the knowledge of nature would allow the best possible use of resources».[3] It emerged in late medieval England and later shaped the colonies of the British Empire, through what Richard Drayton describes as «enlightened imperialism». The British believed «that they ultimately knew better than those on the ground».[4]
This limited agricultural use of the term changed in the 17th century, when «its metaphoric range was extended to include a host of social and political reforms aimed at growth, development, or perfection».[2] In short order, the term «improvement» became «nothing less than shorthand for the civilizing process»,[2][5] and thereafter «played an important role in eighteenth- century European debates over the foundations of social order».[2] Friedrich Nietzsche criticized this concept of «improvement» in his notes published in The Will to Power, asserting that it created a false and self-serving sense of human superiority over nature, and that the «civilizing» of man was actually a «softening».[6]
In the 20th century, the concept of improvement expanded even further. Businesses developed philosophies of having a continual improvement process, wherein all activities of the business are constantly examined to weed out inefficiencies and better ways of carrying out tasks. At the same time, the concept of an individual self-improvement blossomed, leading to «tremendous growth in self-help publishing [and] self-improvement culture»,[7] wherein people assessed their lives in much the same way. Home improvement, the process or result of improving the efficiency, livability, or market value of a personal dwelling, has also become a substantial industry.
Sarah Tarlow, a professor of Archaeology, has argued that the idea of “improvement” is so familiar to us today that it seems natural. It is therefore difficult to fully understand the history of “improvement” as a concept and to appreciate that it was a genuinely new way of thinking in the early modern period. Furthermore, in contemporary use, the notion of “improvement” is assumed to be positive. This assumption has limited the critical attention given to the history of the idea and the practices associated with it. For example, the enclosure of common land for private use was understood as an “improvement” in the eighteenth century. But this had both positive and negative effects for the different people involved. The poor family who were denied a crucial means of subsistence did not regard the newly enclosed fields as “better”.[8]
In businessEdit
Many theories and practices exist with respect to improvement in business. For example, business process improvement is a systematic approach to help an organisation optimise its underlying processes to achieve more efficient results. One such approach is focused improvement, the ensemble of activities aimed at elevating the performance of any system, especially a business system, by working on eliminating its constraints one by one while not working on non-constraints. Performance improvement focuses on measuring the output of a particular business process or procedure, then modifying the process or procedure to increase the output, increase efficiency, or increase the effectiveness of the process or procedure. Quality improvement is one of the four aspects of the concept of quality management. A crucial component of professional development is evaluation. Recently, we have seen a push for evaluation systems to be used to sort and fire teachers—a supposed quick fix, but one that ignores the vast majority of dedicated educators. To be effective, an evaluation system must identify strengths and weaknesses, so that all teachers can get the necessary support to improve their practice.
Your commitment and ability to improve defines your potential which is of interest to anyone who is a customer, employer, stakeholder as like a craftsman his ability to improve represents the marked improvement in his work from one to the next.
In governmentEdit
Governments often use language proposing an improvement of processes or areas. In some places a business improvement district or tourism improvement district may be incorporated into urban zoning, with the enactment of laws intended to benefit businesses that are established in the area. An improvement trust, a type of legal trust created for the improvement of something, may be settled for the benefit of a municipal area.
See alsoEdit
- In government
- Improvement commissioners, a form of government in 18th-century Britain
- Improvement and Development Agency, a British governmental agency established in 1998
- Improvement districts of Alberta, a type of rural municipality
- Other
- Improvement Era, the magazine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published from 1897–1970
- Natural vision improvement, a regimen developed by William Horatio Bates for improving human vision
- Preemphasis improvement, the improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of the high-frequency portion of the baseband in FM broadcasting
- In taxonomy, improvement is used as a synonym for emendation, a scientific change to the name of a living organism made to remove spelling and style errors
ReferencesEdit
- ^ Paul Slack, The Invention of Improvement: Information & Material Progress in Seventeenth-Century England (2015), p. 1
- ^ a b c d Alan Craig Houston, Benjamin Franklin and the Politics of Improvement (2008), p. 12.
- ^ Richard Drayton, Nature’s Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the ‘Improvement’ of the World (2000), p. xv
- ^ Richard Drayton, Nature’s Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the ‘Improvement’ of the World (2000), p. 90
- ^ See also Andrew D. Lambert, The Gates of Hell: Sir John Franklin’s Tragic Quest for the North West Passage (2014), p. 136: «The Enlightenment concept of improvement as applied to the land was seen as a civilising mission».
- ^ Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power (2011 ed.), p. 91, 212.
- ^ Micki McGee. Self-Help, Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life (Oxford 2005) p. 12.
- ^ Sarah Tarlow, The Archeology of Improvement in Britain, 1750-1850 (2007)
External linksEdit
Look up improvement in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- «To improve education, improvements needed inside and outside the classroom». The Hill. 30 June 2014.
| Word | IMPROVEMENT |
| Character | 11 |
| Hyphenation | im prove ment |
| Pronunciations | /ɪmˈpɹuːvmənt/ |
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What do we mean by improvement?
The act or process of improving. noun
The state of being improved. noun
A change or addition that improves. noun
The act of improving or making better, or the state of being made better; advancement or increase in any good quality; betterment. noun
Profitable use or employment; practical or advantageous application: as, the improvement of one’s time. noun
Use; practice; indulgence. noun
A betterment; that by which the value or excellence of a thing is enhanced; a beneficial or valuable change or addition. noun
The act of improving; advancement or growth; promotion in desirable qualities; progress toward what is better; melioration noun
The act of making profitable use or applicaton of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; a turning to good account; practical application, as of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse. noun
The state of being improved; betterment; advance; also, that which is improved. noun
Increase; growth; progress; advance. noun
Valuable additions or betterments, as buildings, clearings, drains, fences, etc., on land or premises. noun
A useful addition to, or modification of, a machine, manufacture, or composition. noun
The act of improving; advancement or growth; promotion in desirable qualities; progress toward what is better; melioration; as, the improvement of the mind, of land, roads, etc. noun
The act of making profitable use or application of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; a turning to good account; practical application, as of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse. noun
The state of being improved; betterment; advance; also, that which is improved; as, the new edition is an improvement on the old. noun
Increase; growth; progress; advance. noun
: Valuable additions or betterments, as buildings, clearings, drains, fences, etc., on premises. noun
: A useful addition to, or modification of, a machine, manufacture, or composition. noun
The act of improving; advancement or growth; a bettering
The act of making profitable use or application of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; practical application, for example of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse.
The state of being improved; betterment; advance
Something which is improved
Increase; growth; progress; advance.
(in plural) Valuable additions or betterments, for example buildings, clearings, drains, fences, etc., on premises.
(Patent Laws): A useful addition to, or modification of, a machine, manufacture, or composition.
Short for improvisation, a comedy format in which the performers make up the scene on the spot Urban Dictionary
Improvisational theater, performances where the material is improvised on the spot while they already in progress. Urban Dictionary
When you ask the audience to say a place, but you just make up one yourself, and then you and your actor partner have to describe the scene and the actions you are participating in. Urban Dictionary
A rappers ability to write rhymes about anything from a stop sign to a license plate to playing basketball and not only making his verses rhyme, but make sense too. Urban Dictionary
A place or thing which can be improved, a person who is capable of improving themselves or is willing to listen to someone who wants to show them how to improve. Urban Dictionary
A person who is good at or constantly ‘improvises’ or ‘makes up’ words, phrases or stories on the spot in an interesting and effective fashion. Urban Dictionary
Generally used after making a ridiculously funny statement, causing even more laughter from your peers Urban Dictionary
A practically joke group based in New York, America. They pull of harmless stunts that they call missions. There acts include multiple actors called agents. The group was founded in 2001 by Charlie Todd and there slogan is «We Cause Scenes». They go out and pull pranks such as No Pants where people ride the subway with no trousers. Frozen Grand Central where 207 agents froze in the subway for 5 minuets then just carry on as normal. Ted’s Birthday when they chose a random stranger and threw him a Birthday Party in a New York bar. Anton Chekhov was another one where an agent pretended to be a famous Russian play write who died over a century ago, he did a reading and signed some books, people believed him. The Moebius was when a small group of agents gathered in Costa Coffee and replayed the same scene every 5 minuets for an hour. Best Buy was an occasion when a group of 80 agents came into a shop called Best Buy dressed exactly the same as the shop staff, if asked if they worked at the shop they would say no but they would answer questions for customers. They are a group designed to go out much like a flash mob and amuse commuters. Urban Dictionary
An ABC sitcom airing from 1991-1999 and one of the most cleverly written sitcoms of the decade. Comedian Tim Allen starred as Tim Taylor, a chauvinist, handyman husband and father of three mischeivous sons who hosted a Detroit cable tool show called Tool Time, and just could help himself to giving «more power» to machinery. Much of the show also focused on the of the rest of the Taylor family: Tim’s wife Jill is a feminist and aspiring psychologist, the loner and very astute neighbor Wilson Wilson always provides advice for Tim, and Tim’s sons are mischeivious but good kids. Tim is very masculine and chauvinist (he even gets disgusted at just the thought of going to the opera), a handyman, clumsy, loved to make jokes about Al’s flannel shirts and overweight mother, always rewiring gadgets, was always competing with his next door neighbor Doc Johnson for the neighborhood’s best Christmas lights, seeking advice from his other neighbor Wilson Wilson (Wilson Wilson is not a typo)
Spoofs from the show:
1. Tim’s frequent jokes about Al’s flannel shirst and overweight mom.
2. always seeking advice from his next door neighbor Wilson Wilson, only to screw it up
3. Wilson’s face is always hidden
4. always rewiring things to give it “more power”…only to have it explode
5. his wife Jill can’t cook
6. Tim has an obsession with Sears
7. always competes with Doc Johnson, a 80-year old retired proctologist, for the neighborhood’s best Christmas lights
8. Tim is so clumsy that he dropped a steel beam on his wife’s car, fell though a portapotty, glued his head to a table, had a hammer frozen to his tongue, fell through the roof on a project house, blew up a friend’s house and blew up the dishwasher
9. always building a hot rod in the garage
10. frequently grunts when exited or perplexed
11. Bob Villa is his biggest competition
12. Tim often hits his head on a basement pipe above the stairs
13. frequently made jokes about his mother-in-law “Nanna’s” weight but stopped when he saw how thin she had become
14. Always wants Tool Time to take a commercial break when he gets injured
15. Tim frequently gets sick eating Polish food from «Stan’s» Polish restaurant in Hamtramk
16. Tim is well-known at the emergency room, even to the point of having his own cup labeled “Tim”
17. Tim often wears sweatshirts from a Michigan college.
18. Tim’s three sons’ are always bullied by Vinny McGern Urban Dictionary
While having sex or simulated sex, as via a webcam, attempting to perform a fantasy or scenario. Urban Dictionary
2
a
: the state of being improved
especially
: enhanced value or excellence
b
: an instance of such improvement : something that enhances value or excellence
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Doctors were amazed by the sudden improvement in her medical condition.
I’ve noticed a significant improvement in your work since the spring.
The editor made some improvements to the article before it was printed.
They spent the money on new kitchen cabinets and other home improvements.
Recent Examples on the Web
The new settlement comes after Kummrow claims the improvements will cost more than previously anticipated because of a former garbage dump that’s underneath the company.
—
Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2023
Hamilton was delighted with the improvement Mercedes showed in Melbourne, which included a competitive qualifying performance on Saturday.
—Courtney Walsh, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2023
Significant improvement on the defensive side of the ball could be just what the Bruins need to contend for their first Pac-12 title since 1998 in their farewell season as members of the conference.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2023
Despite all the mechanical and electronic improvements, Saab hasn’t done much to make the turbo spin more quickly up to speed.
—Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 2 Apr. 2023
These improvements have seemingly led to a number of Midjourney images going viral in recent weeks.
—James Vincent, The Verge, 30 Mar. 2023
Alemán accuses the district of launching programs with much fanfare at press conferences but taking too long for improvements to reach all schools.
—Palabra, al, 29 Mar. 2023
Though a recent spate of rain and snow across the West have modestly raised the lake level, experts say the incremental improvement will have little long-term impact on the dire water crisis the West is facing.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 29 Mar. 2023
The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol, an indicator of LDL cholesterol levels, improved with weight loss, although those improvements were smaller as people regained weight.
—Linda Carroll, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘improvement.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of improvement was
circa 1550
Dictionary Entries Near improvement
Cite this Entry
“Improvement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/improvement. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.
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im·prove·ment
(ĭm-pro͞ov′mənt)
n.
1.
a. The act or process of improving.
b. The state of being improved.
2. A change or addition that improves.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
improvement
(ɪmˈpruːvmənt)
n
1. the act of improving or the state of being improved
2. something that improves, esp an addition or alteration
3. (Building) alteration of the structure, fixtures, fittings, or decor of a building without changing its function. Compare conversion9
4. (usually plural) Austral and NZ a building or other works on a piece of land, adding to its value
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
im•prove•ment
(ɪmˈpruv mənt)
n.
1. an act of improving or the state of being improved.
2. a change or addition by which a thing is improved: to make improvements on a house.
[1400–50; Middle English < Anglo-French]
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
improvement
— Its early spelling was emprowement, meaning «profit, profitable use or management.»
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Improvement
a method of self-help stressing autosuggestion, introduced into America about 1920 by the French psychotherapist Emile Coué and featuring the slogan “Every day in every way I am getting better and better.”
the science of improving a breed or species through the careful selection of parents. — eugenicist, n. — eugenic, adj.
the art or science of improving a race or breed, especially the human race, by control of external influences, as environment. Cf. eugenics. — euthenist, n.
the doctrine that the world tends to get better or may be made better by human effort. — meliorist, n., adj. — melioristic, adj.
the harnessing of natural and social forces for a beneficial goal.
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. | improvement — a change for the better; progress in development
elaboration, refinement — the result of improving something; «he described a refinement of this technique» conservation, preservation — an occurrence of improvement by virtue of preventing loss or injury or other change recovery — return to an original state; «the recovery of the forest after the fire was surprisingly rapid» |
| 2. |  improvement — the act of improving something; «their improvements increased the value of the property»
change of state — the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics development — act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining; «he congratulated them on their development of a plan to meet the emergency»; «they funded research and development» cleaning, cleansing, cleanup — the act of making something clean; «he gave his shoes a good cleaning» correction, rectification — the act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake; setting right optimisation, optimization — the act of rendering optimal; «the simultaneous optimization of growth and profitability»; «in an optimization problem we seek values of the variables that lead to an optimal value of the function that is to be optimized»; «to promote the optimization and diversification of agricultural products» perfection — the act of making something perfect reform — a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses; «justice was for sale before the reform of the law courts» enrichment — act of making fuller or more meaningful or rewarding modernisation, modernization — making modern in appearance or behavior; «the modernization of Nigeria will be a long process» redevelopment, renovation, overhaul — the act of improving by renewing and restoring; «they are pursuing a general program of renovation to the entire property»; «a major overhal of the healthcare system was proposed» upturn — an upward movement or trend as in business activity ventilation, airing — the act of supplying fresh air and getting rid of foul air stabilisation, stabilization — the act of making something (as a vessel or aircraft) less likely to overturn upgrade — the act of improving something (especially machinery) by raising it to a higher grade (as by adding or replacing components); «the power plant received a new upgrade» |
|
| 3. | improvement — a condition superior to an earlier condition; «the new school represents a great improvement»
condition, status — a state at a particular time; «a condition (or state) of disrepair»; «the current status of the arms negotiations» betterment — an improvement that adds to the value of a property or facility development — a state in which things are improving; the result of developing (as in the early part of a game of chess); «after he saw the latest development he changed his mind and became a supporter»; «in chess your should take care of your development before moving your queen» reformation — improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social or political or religious affairs refurbishment, renovation, restoration — the state of being restored to its former good condition; «the inn was a renovation of a Colonial house» declination, decline — a condition inferior to an earlier condition; a gradual falling off from a better state |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
improvement
noun
1. enhancement, increase, gain, boost, amendment, correction, heightening, advancement, enrichment, face-lift, embellishment, betterment, rectification, augmentation, amelioration the dramatic improvements in conditions
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
improvement
noun
1. The act of making better or the condition of being made better:
2. Steady improvement, as of an individual or a society:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
zlepšenívylepšení
forbedring
parannus
poboljšanje
javulástökéletesítés
umbæturúrbót, lagfæring
改善
개선
vylepšenie
izboljšanje
förbättring
การทำให้ดีขึ้น
sự tiến bộ
improvement
[ɪmˈpruːvmənt]
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
improvement
[ɪmˈpruːvmənt] n
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
improvement
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
improve
(imˈpruːv) verb
to (cause to) become better, of higher quality etc. His work has greatly improved; They recently improved the design of that car.
imˈprovement noun
1. the state or act of improving or being improved. There has been a great improvement in her work; The patient’s condition shows some improvement.
2. something which improves, or adds beauty, value etc. I’ve made several improvements to the house.
improve on
to produce something which is better, more useful etc than. I think I can improve on that suggestion.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
improvement
→ تـَحْسِيـنٌ zlepšení forbedring Verbesserung βελτίωση mejora parannus amélioration poboljšanje miglioramento 改善 개선 verbetering forbedring poprawa melhoramento улучшение förbättring การทำให้ดีขึ้น gelişme sự tiến bộ 进步
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
im·prove·ment
n. mejoría, restablecimiento, recuperación.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
улучшение, усовершенствование, мелиорация, удобства, перестройка, перестановка
существительное ↓
- часто pl улучшение; усовершенствование
- удобства (в доме, квартире)
a house with all modern /up-to-date/ improvements — дом со всеми современными удобствами 
- перестройка, перестановка (в целях улучшения)
- с.-х. мелиорация
- эк. повышение (цен)
- гидр. регулирование (реки)
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
decided / distinct / marked / substantial improvement — явное, значительное улучшение
minor improvement — незначительное улучшение
stable improvement — стойкое улучшение
improvement in her work — прогресс в её работе
improvement of service — улучшение обслуживания
to bring about an improvement — совершенствовать
to show (an) improvement — улучшаться
incapable of improvement — не поддающийся улучшению
policy improvement procedure — процедура совершенствования стратегии
block improvement — усовершенствование блока
Примеры с переводом
We’re aiming for a big improvement.
Мы нацелены на значительное улучшение.
Are you making some improvements to your home?
Вы что делаете перестановку/перепланировку у себя дома?
He fathered the improvement plan.
Он разработал план мероприятий по улучшению.
Your English is much better, but there’s still room for improvement (=it could be even better).
Ваш английский гораздо лучше, но еще есть к чему стремиться (=он может быть еще лучше).
I can detect signs of improvement in your thinking.
Я замечаю, вы стали лучше мыслить.
Doctors were amazed by the sudden improvement in her medical condition.
Врачи были поражены внезапным улучшением её состояния здоровья.
The weeks rolled on, but there was still no improvement in his health.
Недели шли, а ему всё не становилось лучше.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
There’s been a big improvement in the children’s behaviour. 
The new medicine has brought about an immeasurable improvement in her life.
…an improvement in the facilities led to a concomitant improvement in morale…
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
Формы слова
noun
ед. ч.(singular): improvement
мн. ч.(plural): improvements