meliority: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Extremely Rare / Archaic
UK/ˌmiːlɪˈɒrɪti/US/ˌmiliˈɔrɪti/ˌmiliˈɑrɪti/

Formal, Literary, Archaic

My Flashcards

Quick answer

What does “meliority” mean?

The state or quality of being better.

Audio

Pronunciation

Definition

Meaning and Definition

The state or quality of being better; superior quality or condition.

The abstract concept or principle of improvement or advancement towards a better state; can imply a comparative degree of excellence.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

No significant difference; the word is equally archaic and unused in both varieties.

Connotations

In both varieties, connotes antiquated, scholarly, or deliberately obscure language if used today.

Frequency

Virtually zero frequency in contemporary corpora for both BrE and AmE.

Grammar

How to Use “meliority” in a Sentence

the meliority of [abstract noun]argue for the meliority of

Vocabulary

Collocations

medium
inherent meliorityprinciple of meliority
weak
moral melioritysocial meliorityclaim of meliority

Usage

Meaning in Context

Business

Not used.

Academic

Only in historical or philosophical texts discussing concepts of progress; not in modern academic writing.

Everyday

Never used.

Technical

Not used in any modern technical field.

Vocabulary

Synonyms of “meliority”

Vocabulary

Antonyms of “meliority”

inferioritydeteriority (archaic)worseness

Watch out

Common Mistakes When Using “meliority”

  • Using it in modern writing.
  • Confusing it with 'mediocrity'.
  • Pronouncing it /mɛl-/ instead of /miːl-/.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, but it is considered archaic and is almost never used in contemporary English.

"Superiority" is the direct and commonly used synonym.

It is strongly discouraged unless you are specifically analyzing historical texts that use the term. Using 'superiority' or 'better quality' is recommended.

The related verb is 'ameliorate', which means to make something better or more tolerable.

The state or quality of being better.

Meliority is usually formal, literary, archaic in register.

Meliority: in British English it is pronounced /ˌmiːlɪˈɒrɪti/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌmiliˈɔrɪti/ˌmiliˈɑrɪti/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of 'ameliorate' (to make better) and 'superiority'. Meliority is the noun form of the 'better' idea in ameliorate.

Conceptual Metaphor

BETTER IS HIGHER / BETTER IS AHEAD (meliority as a state to be reached or a height to be attained).

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap
The archaic term 'meliority' is best replaced in modern English with the word .
Multiple Choice

In which context might you *historically* encounter the word 'meliority'?