adjustment

American  

[uh-juhst-muhnt] / əˈdʒʌst mənt /

noun

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

2. the state of being adjusted; 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

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

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

The cost-of-living adjustment is based on CPI-W, which gives more weight to food, apparel, and transportation costs.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Those receiving Social Security won’t find out the actual cost-of-living adjustment until October.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

In either case, the adjustment is taxable outside a retirement account.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Ortiz admits it was an adjustment to work with a puppet he didn’t design himself.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

For there are men who can look, listen, tap, make an adjustment, and a machine works.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

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