adjustment
Americannoun
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the act of adjusting; adaptation to a particular condition, position, or purpose.
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the state of being adjusted; orderly relation of parts or elements.
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a device, as a knob or lever, for adjusting.
the adjustments on a television set.
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the act of bringing something into conformity with external requirements.
the adjustment of one's view of reality.
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harmony achieved by modification or change of a position.
They worked out an adjustment of their conflicting ideas.
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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.
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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.
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a settlement of a disputed account or claim.
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a change or concession, as in price or other terms, in view of minor defect or the like.
noun
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the act of adjusting or state of being adjusted
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a control for regulating
the adjustment for volume is beside the speaker
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adjustment
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.
Vocabulary lists containing adjustment
Schooled
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A Single Shard
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 1
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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.
That means that each year it will pay the holder, through a combination of interest payments and principal adjustment, the current rate of inflation plus another 1.63%.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Surging gasoline and energy prices, as well as the cost of groceries, have pushed the forecast for the cost-of-living adjustment higher.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
"The adjustment we made at half-time helped us be the more dominant team in the second half. We were twice close," claimed Slot.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
On the receiving end, the photonic qubits were decoded with an actively stabilized interferometer containing a phase shifter, allowing the system to operate for extended periods without manual adjustment.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
The balance of nature is not a status quo; it is fluid, ever shifting, in a constant state of adjustment.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
