advance vs improvement

advance

noun
  • A forward move; improvement or progression. 

  • An opening approach or overture, now especially of an unwelcome or sexual nature. 

  • An amount of money or credit, especially given as a loan, or paid before it is due; an advancement. 

  • An addition to the price; rise in price or value. 

adj
  • Completed before necessary or a milestone event. 

  • Preceding. 

  • Forward. 

verb
  • To raise (someone) in rank or office; to prefer, to promote. 

  • To make (something) happen at an earlier time or date; to bring forward, to hasten. 

  • To make progress; to do well, to succeed. 

  • To move or push (something) forwards, especially forcefully. 

  • To move forwards; to approach. 

  • To help the progress of (something); to further. 

  • To move forward in time; to progress towards completion. 

  • To raise or increase (a price, rate). 

  • To provide (money or other value) before it is due, or in expectation of some work; to lend. 

  • To increase (a number or amount). 

  • To make a higher bid at an auction. 

  • To put forward (an idea, argument etc.); to propose. 

improvement

noun
  • Increase; growth; progress; advance. 

  • The act of improving; advancement or growth; a bettering 

  • Something which is improved 

  • Valuable additions or betterments, for example buildings, clearings, drains, fences, etc., on premises. 

  • A useful addition to, or modification of, a machine, manufacture, or composition. 

  • The state of being improved; betterment; advance 

  • The act of making profitable use or application of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; practical application, for example of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse. 

How often have the words advance and improvement occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )