noun
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an adjustment, change, or modification
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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:
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
Alfonsi refused, arguing — correctly, as it turned out — that administration officials refused to appear on air and that any alteration would reflect poorly on the network.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2026
"The method captured not only the distinction between life and nonlife, but also degrees of preservation and alteration."
From Science Daily ● May 12, 2026
Eve Higgins replaces Nancy McGillivray, who is not involved in the matchday squad, at centre in the sole alteration from the 26-7 defeat against France in Clermont two weeks ago.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
The punt slipped downstream smoothly, without any alteration of the speed which it had gained within a few yards of leaving the bank.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
There will be temporary alterations to some bus stops and pick-up points around City Hall.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
In the case of the former Pfizer building, Domani inspector John McMonagle is listed on permits as being responsible for the inspection of structural steel and the structural stability of alterations to existing buildings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
For women with BRCA2 gene alterations, the lifetime risks increase to 69% for breast cancer and 17% for ovarian.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Experimental validation and whole-body analyses in worms helped reveal a direct link between gradual molecular alterations and broader aging processes.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
As long as Homo erectus did not undergo further genetic alterations, its stone tools remained roughly the same—for close to 2 million years!
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
