English pronunciation · Words Starting with A
Ameliorate Pronunciation
Ameliorate is pronounced uh-MEEL-yer-ayt, IPA /əˈmiljɝˌeɪt/.
uh-MEEL-yer-ayt
US /əˈmiljɝˌeɪt/ · UK /əˈmiːliəˌreɪt/
Syllables: uh · MEEL · yer · ayt (4 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
verb: To make a bad situation better.
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Ameliorate in a Sentence
- Nothing in the budget will ameliorate the housing shortage.
- The grant was meant to ameliorate the worst of the cuts.
- Rest and fluids ameliorate most of the symptoms.
Common Mispronunciations of Ameliorate
Not a-mee-lee-uh-RAYT
MEEL takes the punch and the ending coasts off as a light ayt. Pushing the volume to the back gives the word a French swing it does not have.
Not uh-MEL-yuh-rayt
That stressed vowel runs long, the ee of meal. Clipping it to the e of bell loses the Latin melior hiding inside the word.
Tip: British dictionaries spread it over five beats, uh-MEE-lee-uh-rayt, while American speech folds the lee into a y glide.
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