adjustment

American  

[uh-juhst-muhnt] / əˈdʒʌst mənt /

noun

adjustments plural

1. the act of adjusting; adaptation to a particular condition, position, or purpose.

2. the state of being adjusted; orderly relation of parts or elements.

3. a device, as a knob or lever, for adjusting.

   the adjustments on a television set.

4. the act of bringing something into conformity with external requirements.

   the adjustment of one's view of reality.

5. harmony achieved by modification or change of a position.

   They worked out an adjustment of their conflicting ideas.

6. Sociology. a process of modifying, adapting, or altering individual or collective patterns of behavior so as to bring them into conformity with other such patterns, as with those provided by a cultural environment.

7. Insurance. the act of ascertaining the amount of indemnity that the party insured is entitled to receive under the policy, and of settling the claim.

8. a settlement of a disputed account or claim.

9. a change or concession, as in price or other terms, in view of minor defect or the like.

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adjustment British  

/ əˈdʒʌstmənt /

noun

1. the act of adjusting or state of being adjusted

2. a control for regulating

   the adjustment for volume is beside the speaker

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misadjustment
  noun
• nonadjustment
  noun
• overadjustment
  noun
• preadjustment
  noun
• underadjustment
  noun
• adjustmental
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• adjustments
  plural

Etymology

Origin of adjustment

First recorded in 1635–45; adjust + -ment

Explanation

The act of making an alteration or modification is an adjustment. If you buy a new pair of jeans, but they are too long, you can make a quick adjustment and hem them, have someone else hem them, or use safety pins. The process of adapting to your environmental conditions is also called an adjustment. After you leave home for college, both you and your parents will have a period of adjustment. Some people adjust easier to change than others — you may be having a ball going to class, eating cereal for dinner, and making new friends but an adjustment your parents will have to make is that they will need to stop worrying about you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

adjustment adjustments

Having the three frontcourt players has been an adjustment for coach Lynne Roberts to find how to implement them all in the offense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

That is not a buying adjustment that can be made lightly.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

But how has he found the adjustment from a noisy dressing room with big personalities and colourful language to helping to shape young minds in a new academy?

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

But it can be an adjustment for both generations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

The ship continued toward orbit with only a minor course adjustment, implemented automatically by sophisticated software.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

But Chinese carmakers like BYD and Xpeng have eaten into German carmakers' sales in the world's largest auto market, leading to painful adjustments at home.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

His staff logically analyse every match in detail and learn what the adjustments are.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Even with adjustments, however, sentiment would still likely be soft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

The security adjustments aren’t expected to quell Mexico’s World Cup fever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

Mine took hold, rooted, and bloomed, even though there were inevitable adjustments to the new soil and climate.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Related Words

• alteration
• arrangement
• improvement
• modification
• readjustment
• regulation