ameliorate AIBU?

[LightTheFlameThrower]

Is this really a standard word that most people know? (I thought it was a typo)

@LightTheFlameThrower

I’m amazed that people assume that an Oxbridge degree might mean anything more that reasonable competent at the subject read.

An Oxbridge degree means that you have lived and worked for three or four years in a community of very bright people, and the college system means that you mix more widely with students of every discipline than in many other universities. That should have a positive effect on your vocabulary. I read English but I know what an imaginary number is because I shared a set with a mathmo in first year.

I’ve asked my college friends’ WhatsApp group as a straw poll. I’ll report back.

I know it. Use it, probably, in a few conversations a month.

I would expect engineers and social scientists, maybe doctors and nurses, to use it much more than English graduates, really. I pretty much always use it when talking about engineering - “ameliorate the impact of x by doing y” type of thing.

I'd say I use it as much as I use the word improve. But I speak French and it's derived from a common French word which I think is why it's found its way into my vernacular.

I’d expect my colleagues to know it - even those who speak English as a second language. I’d say I come across it frequently in my job.

@EmilySpinach. Whereas I only talked to Mathmos. My natural inclination would be to be appalled than anyone over the age of 10 did not know what an imaginary number is, however I understand my reality isn’t everyone else and I do my best to meet people in common ground.

I know it but it’s very much on my passive rather than active vocabulary.

OTOH now you’ve made me think about it it would be a rather classy addition to my work vocabulary for formal documents. Thanks OP.

You do seem desperate for the email writer to be a twat, and maybe they are one. But that word didn't make it so.

It's a great word, very useful. I like circumvent too

I know what it means but largely because of the French verb which is very similar and means the same. Don’t tend to use it.

Nope the writer of the email I’d a lovely lady who I adore. I’m simply surprised at the word used.

Is a lovely lady

Ameliorate tends to be used when the measure/solution taken only goes some way to fixing the problem.

I'm used to its use, but I worked in healthcare and studied social science, so it is a fairly common word in that field.

Circumvent a great word!

I wouldn’t expect to hear it in everyday conversation, but certainly in more formal, written English, or in a formal lecture or discussion.

I’m frankly pretty appalled that anyone with a degree in English doesn’t know what it means - especially anyone who teaches English. What is the world coming to? 😱

@MrsTerryPratchett. By definition nobody who
sends you clotted cream is a twat. (Unless you have a dairy allergy - which we don’t£

I vaguely know what it means. I can't imagine anyone using it regularly.

I know what it means but I have only ever used it once.

People who actually went usually don't use the term Oxbridge. They say, "I went to Oxford" or "...Cambridge".
That's odder than ameliorate! Which is not uncommon.

I have no idea what an imaginary number is and don't remember even hearing the phrase

But I can't even do times tables or even the most basic of maths, if there's an equivalent of dyslexia for numbers then that's me

I'm rather disappointed. I thought this was going to be a thread of suggestions for how to ameliorate AIBU.

Vocabulary isn't the preserve of English students (nor do English students sit around learning vocabulary lists). My mathmo friends had decent vocabularies. I would have been surprised (but not astounded) if they didn't know the word ameliorate.

It's the sort of word that I use. I only studied English to GCSE level.

Very common. Is this for real?

Not In my vocab

I use it daily, but to do with my job.