Melhorar

Melhorar is a Portuguese verb meaning to make something better or to become better; to improve, enhance, or ameliorate. It is used to refer to changes in health, quality, performance, conditions, or skills. The verb can be transitive (melhorar algo) or intransitive (melhorar) or reflexive (melhorar-se), with a common use to indicate recovery in the reflexive sense (por exemplo, ela melhorou-se da gripe).

Etymology and characteristics: Melhorar derives from melhor, the comparative form meaning better, which itself comes from Latin melior, the comparative of bonus (good). The verb is regular and follows the standard conjugation pattern of -ar verbs.

Conjugation notes: In present indicative, the forms include eu melhoro, tu mejoras, ele melhora, nós melhoramos, vós melhoráis, eles melhoram. Other tenses follow the regular -ar paradigm (for example, melhorou, melhoramos, melhorando). The verb’s regularity makes it a common choice in daily speech and writing.

Usage and nuance: Melhorar is versatile and widely used across contexts such as health (melhorar-se de uma doença), quality (melhorar a qualidade de vida), performance (melhorar o desempenho) and situations (melhorar a situação). It is commonly contrasted with aprimorar (more formal or specialized, emphasizing refinement) and progredir (to progress). The opposite action is piorar, meaning to worsen.

See also: aprimorar, aperfeiçoar, progredir, piorar.