You're in better shape than I am.
Source: tatoeba (1295)
Better
/ˈbɛt.ə/
Synonyms for "better" (269 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (54)
Strong matches (81)
curecureddeformdegeneratedenaturedesirabledeviantdignifydingdistinguisheddivergentdiversifyeaseeclipsingedifyeducateelderelevateemendeminent
Show 49 more words
enhanceenlightenenrichexceedexceedingexcelexcellentexcellingexceptionalfattenfavorfavoredfavoringfinerfitforwardfostergamblergamestergo one bettergo straightgreaterhappierheightenhelphigherhigher-upilluminateimproveimprove onimprove uponimprovedin ascendancyin the ascendantincreaselardlargerliftmajormake an improvementmarkedmasterymelioratemendmetamorphosedmetastasizedmitigatemodifiedmodify
Related words (134)
modulatemoremore desirablemostmutantmutatenurtureof choiceone up onoutdooutshineoutstandingoutstripoutweighoveroverbalanceoverbearovercomeoverpassoverthrow
Show 101 more words
overtopperfectpolishpredominatepreferablepreferablypreferentialpreferredpreferringpreponderateprevailpromotepunterqualifiedqualifyraiserarere createre-createrealignrebuildrebuiltreconsiderreconstructrecoveredredesignrefinerefine uponrefitreformreformedremakerenewrenewedreshaperestorerestructurerevampreviverevivedrevolutionaryricherring the changesripenrivalingselectseniorshadeshift the sceneshuffle the cardssocializespeculatorsportstraighten outsubversivesubvertsuccesssupersuperiorsuperioritysuperiorssurmountsurpasssurpassingthink better ofthink twiceto be preferredtoptoppingtower abovetower overtranscendtranscendenttranscendentaltranscendingtransfiguretransformtransformedtranslatedtransmutedtriumphtrumpturn over a new leafturn the scaleturn the tablesturn the tideturn upside downunmitigatedupgradeupliftuppervaryvintagewagererwealthierwell-advisedwinwiserwork a changeworseworsen
Adjective(9 words)
more appropriatemore effectivelymore efficientlymore skillfullymore suitablenicepreferablesuperiorwonderful
Adverb(1 words)
more optimal soil moisture
Determiner(1 words)
more tutoring
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: a cut above, above, accommodate, acculturate, adapt.
- Sentence evidence is available for better, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, wordnet, derived_reverse, opengloss, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "better".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "better"
Keep "better" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "better" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "better", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "better" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
30 entriesadvantageadvisabilityalterchangechange statecomparative adverbconditiondiscourse adverbexceedexclamationgamblergoodgoodnesshigher-upinterjectionmodal expression
Showing 16 of 30 words.
More specific
13 entriesbetter gradebetter performancebetter toencouragement exclamationfull recoverygreat interjectionhad bettermild symptomsmore effectivelymore efficientlymore skillfullymore suitable methodpreferable option
Collocations
17 entriesbetter chancebetter gradebetter healthbetter ideabetter optionbetter planbetter resultbetter resultsbetter solutionbetter thanbetter understandingbetter waybetter yetdo betterfeel betterget better
Showing 16 of 17 words.
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
5 entriesAntonyms
2 entriessimilar
12 entriesTranslations
110 translations across 86 languages.
Alviri-Vidari
1 entries- ودرتر adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Ancient Greek
4 entries- βέλτερος adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- βελτίων adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- καλλίων adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- κρείσσων adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Arabic
2 entries- أَحْسَن adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- أَفْضَل adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Armenian
1 entries- ավելի լավ adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Assamese
1 entries- -কৈ ভাল adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Asturian
1 entries- meyor adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Basque
1 entries- hobe adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Belarusian
1 entries- ле́пшы adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Bengali
2 entries- আফজল adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- আরও ভাল adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Breton
2 entries- gwell adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- gwelloc'h adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Bulgarian
1 entries- по-добър adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Catalan
1 entries- millor adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 更好 adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- 比較好的 /比较好的 adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- 較好的 /较好的 adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Cornish
1 entries- gwell adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Czech
1 entries- lepší adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Danish
1 entries- bedre adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Dutch
1 entries- beter adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Esperanto
1 entries- pli bona adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Estonian
1 entries- parem adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Faroese
1 entries- betri adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Finnish
1 entries- parempi adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
French
1 entries- meilleur adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Friulian
1 entries- miôr adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Galician
1 entries- mellor adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Georgian
2 entries- უკეთესი adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- უმჯობესი adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
German
1 entries- besser adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Gothic
1 entries- 𐌱𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌶𐌰 adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Greek
1 entries- καλύτερος adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Hindi
1 entries- बेहतर adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Hungarian
1 entries- jobb adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Icelandic
1 entries- betri adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Ido
2 entries- maxim adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- plu bona adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Indonesian
1 entries- lebih baik adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Interlingua
1 entries- melior adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Irish
1 entries- níos fearr adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Italian
2 entries- meglio adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- migliore adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Jamaican Creole
1 entries- beta adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Japanese
2 entries- もっといい adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- より良い adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Karelian
1 entries- parempi adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Khiamniungan Naga
1 entries- tǖmêi adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Korean
1 entries- 더 좋은 adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Ladin
1 entries- miec adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Latin
2 entries- melior adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- potior adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Macedonian
1 entries- подобар adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Malay
2 entries- lebih bagus adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- lebih baik adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Neapolitan
1 entries- meglio adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Norman
1 entries- miyeu adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- baştir adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- bedre adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- betre adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Occitan
1 entries- melhor adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Old English
1 entries- betera adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Pannonian Rusyn
1 entries- лєпши adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Persian
2 entries- بختر adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- بِهتَر adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- bäta adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Polish
1 entries- lepszy adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Portuguese
1 entries- melhor adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Romani
1 entries- feder adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Romanian
2 entries- mai bine adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- mai bun adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Romansch
1 entries- meglier adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Russian
2 entries- лу́чше adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- лу́чший adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Sanskrit
1 entries- श्रेयस् adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Sardinian
3 entries- meglius adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- megnus adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- mellus adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- nas fheàrr adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Serbo-Croatian
3 entries- bolji adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- bȍljē adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- бо̏ље̄ adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Sicilian
1 entries- megghiu adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Sindhi
1 entries- بِهتَر adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Slovak
1 entries- lepší adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Slovene
1 entries- bóljši adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Spanish
1 entries- mejor adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Sranan Tongo
1 entries- betre adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Swahili
1 entries- bora adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Swedish
1 entries- bättre adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Thai
1 entries- ดีกว่า adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Turkish
1 entries- daha iyi adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Ukrainian
2 entries- кра́щий adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- лі́пший adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Urdu
1 entries- بہتر adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Venetan
1 entries- mejo adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Veps
1 entries- paremba adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Vietnamese
3 entries- khoẻ hơn adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- khá hơn adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
- tốt hơn adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Volapük
1 entries- gudikum adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Võro
1 entries- parõmb adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Walloon
1 entries- meyeu adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Welsh
1 entries- gwell adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Yakut
1 entries- бэт adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Yiddish
1 entries- בעסער adj (comparative of the adjectives good or well)
Sample sentences
30 total sentences available.
I have nothing better to do.
Source: tatoeba (1451)
Whatever I do, she says I can do better.
Source: tatoeba (1472)
Better to be hated for who you are than loved for who you're not.
Source: tatoeba (1693)
Showing 4 of 30 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "better"?
Closest matches include a cut above, above, accommodate, acculturate, adapt.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "better"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.