noun
-
an adjustment, change, or modification
-
the act of altering or state of being altered
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of alteration
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English alteracioun, from Medieval Latin alterātiōn-, stem of alterātiō; equivalent to alter + -ation
Explanation
The pants are too long, the jacket too tight and the vest is too short. Looks like your suit is in need of some serious alteration, or adjustment. No one knows alterations like tailors. All they do is adjust, modify and otherwise alter people's ill fitting clothes. But hemlines aren't the only things that can undergo alteration. Savvy scientists may someday make alterations to genetic sequencing — just like Dr. Jekyll underwent some serious alterations to become Mr. Hyde.
Vocabulary lists containing alteration
Vocabulary from The Articles of Confederation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Initially declared a success with "no visible alteration" to the 70-metre-long tapestry following its arrival, France last week said two broken threads were spotted during a full condition check.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
That alteration came about as the deal for Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi had not been completed, so Guehi played alongside fellow England international Anderson.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
The diversity of those compounds provides further evidence that the Hillsborough material experienced more extensive alteration by water than most other CM-type meteorites.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
But in another alteration, Damon’s Odysseus fires an arrow into the already blinded Cyclops’ eye as he escapes, giving the monster’s father, Poseidon, a new reason to make his journey home miserable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The change proceeded by stages, each of which involved just a small alteration in daily life.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Applications consider whether any alterations would preserve or enhance the area's character.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The documents stated the applications were for "alterations and repairs, new extensions, reversal of modern alterations, replacement windows and forming new doorways".
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Naturally, Varnell, deemed out of touch, is resistant to the characterization and the alterations, and much of the comedy is mined from the contrast between the older and younger characters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The physical changes in the muscles were accompanied by alterations in proteins and enzymes involved in the metabolic processes that produce energy for muscle activity.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
That life has changed fundamentally over the aeons is entirely clear from the alterations we have made in the beasts and vegetables during the short tenure of humans on Earth, and from the fossil evidence.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
