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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

ameliorate AIBU?

459 replies

LightTheFlameThrower · 08/12/2020 19:46

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

OP posts:
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5
bloodyhairy · 08/12/2020 23:29

I know what it means, but only because I studied French.

ClarenceBoddicker · 08/12/2020 23:33

I’d think not. I knew it myself but don’t know how snd not a brag. Can’t recall it being used in life conversations and probably got it from knowledge of other languages as someone else suggested. Really don’t know who these people are saying it’s common knowledge. Not the usual snobby educated v uneducated big word debate. Very obscure and not just a most about proper using big words. I’d love to see some examples from those saying it’s common lol. Very very obscure I reckon

ElizabethG81 · 08/12/2020 23:36

It's not commonly used but I'd expect most adults to know what it meant.

ClarenceBoddicker · 08/12/2020 23:40

Perhaps in specific fields but not common or regular. Like i said it’s not even posh or anything if words are able to be posh in the first place. Just that most people would say something else which means pretty much the same thing

Hadjab · 08/12/2020 23:40

@LightTheFlameThrower

I didn’t ask if it was a word you knew. I asked if it was a common word.
@LightTheFlameThrower a lot of people don’t know the word discombobulated, but it’s fairly common, not entirely sure what you’re looking for here....
ClarenceBoddicker · 08/12/2020 23:50

Someone said it’s common but you rarely here it. I don’t think people should have to dumb down as to not offend people with their higher vocabulary knowledge. Can recall a few times been told I’m using fancy language which for me I just thought was known by most if not necessarily used much. But ameliorate really isn’t something I could think of in that context and they those who don’t know what it means are dim. Just can’t even envisage how I’d drop it in to a conversation

yaboo · 09/12/2020 00:24

meliorism... very interesting... google... it's where the word 'ameliorate' comes from... haha...

do I gerra prize, Miss?

ViciousJackdaw · 09/12/2020 01:11

'Ameliorate' makes me think of an episode of The Simpsons where Lisa is given the word in the state spelling bee. It can be quite educational at times.

HollaHolla · 09/12/2020 01:22

I use it on the regular... sorry OP.
45. PhD in comparative literature

donquixotedelamancha · 09/12/2020 01:49

Perfectly cromulant word, I would expect most people to know it but wouldn't be shocked if someone didn't.

jessstan1 · 09/12/2020 02:33

It means 'improve'. You don't hear it often but it is used. I think it is quite a pleasant word and may use it more often in future, especially if I am called upon to ameliorate a difficult situation.

tobee · 09/12/2020 04:09

It's a great word! It's very useful and there isn't really another word as good; it means something more than just "improve". It also sounds good so I like to use it! However, I'd probably spell it wrong. 😑

HeronLanyon · 09/12/2020 04:24

I use it but wouldn’t use it with anyone who I thought wouldn’t be familiar with it.
I don’t think it is a ‘commonly used word’ if by that we mean used by majority of people in everyday speech/writing.
I’ve heard others use it very rarely.
I put it in similar category as eg obviate - both spectacularly apposite (another) word and without clear alternative. Springs to mind often but rarely said.

BarbaraofSeville · 09/12/2020 04:52

PhD in comparative literature

I first read this as 'competitive literature', which is probably apt for this thread. Only on Mumsnet.

I agree with the poster who said 'I still maintain that it is not a common word at all and that the vast majority of people would not be familiar with it even many people who are well read with a solid vocabulary'.

At the start of the thread I had no idea what the word meant and was fairly certain I'd never heard or seen it used, despite reading a proper newspaper, reading for pleasure and watching the news regularly and being a professional who works with many other professionals who are worldwide experts in their technical/scientfic field and meeting lots of engineering and scientific types professionally.

Having read the whole thread and gone through thinking it means 'something like emollient, is a technical term used in geography and a few other things, I've now learned that it means 'mitigate' (I think) and certainly when writing in a professional capacity, whether for scientific colleagues, clients who are generally engineers or scientists or members of the public, I wouldn't use that word, because it certainly wouldn't pass any kind of 'plain English' test and would be struck out by those approving my work.

I've learned a new word this morning, but I don't think it's one that I'll be using any time soon.

midnightstar66 · 09/12/2020 04:54

Absolutely never heard of this word. I too thought it was going to be a baby name post!

beaker25 · 09/12/2020 04:58

I haven't heard of it (nice word though!) I have an English degree, read a huge amount, work in a related field (used to work in publishing, often writing copy.)

I don't mind people using words I haven't heard before, I'd either just ask them what it means or google it later. I do find it irritating when people behave as though not having heard a word equates to ignorance though.

joystir59 · 09/12/2020 05:00

I know this word and have known it since I was a teenager. To make better, to improve a situation

joystir59 · 09/12/2020 05:04

@donquixotedelamancha
Correct spelling is cromulent not cromulant

thecatneuterer · 09/12/2020 05:10

It's a standard word and one that is part of my everyday vocabulary. I'm really surprised to learn that many people don't know it.

PrincessFiorimonde · 09/12/2020 05:14

@EsmeCrowfoot

I'm rather disappointed. I thought this was going to be a thread of suggestions for how to ameliorate AIBU. Grin
Yes, me too!
donquixotedelamancha · 09/12/2020 06:21

Correct spelling is cromulent not cromulant

Can't believe you missed the opportunity to say that the cromulent spelling is cromulent :-)

Ploughingthrough · 09/12/2020 06:37

I know it well. Would use it in more formal writing rather than day to day speak though!

LynetteScavo · 09/12/2020 06:47

I went on a day long course where the trainer dropped the word ameliorate about 20 times. I annoyed the fuck out of me. This was about two years ago, and I was still thinking about it yesterday. Hmm

Danglingmod · 09/12/2020 07:03

  1. no, it's not common or everyday.

  2. I do think it falls into the category of "should know and use it if you have an English degree/are an English teacher." It will definitely have occurred in the academic or secondary texts you will have read.

  3. It is commonly used in broadsheets and non-fiction writing (even of the "popular" variety), especially social science or science topics. So, am surprised that people who read those haven't heard of it.

  4. I first learned it from the French ameliorer, at GCSE level. So, also surprised that anyone who has GCSE French hasn't (probably a large percentage of the pop'n aged 30+)

midnightstar66 · 09/12/2020 07:03

It's a standard word and one that is part of my everyday vocabulary. I'm really surprised to learn that many people don't know it.

Everyday as in your specific line of work or every day as I'm chatting with dc about what to make for tea or something funny your dc did?