alteration

[awl-tuh-rey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alteration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of altering; the state of being altered: Alteration will improve the dress.

a change; modification or adjustment: There has been an alteration in our plans.

Origin of alteration

1350–1400; Middle English alteracioun < Medieval Latin alterātiōn- (stem of alterātiō). See alter, -ation

Related formspre·al·ter·a·tion, nounpro·al·ter·a·tion, adjectivere·al·ter·a·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for alteration

amendment, conversion, diversification, variation, mutation, modification, variance, adjustment, transformation, revision, exchange, shift, correction, turn, switch, reformation, metamorphosis, adaptation, fixing, flip-flop

Examples from the Web for alteration

Contemporary Examples of alteration

Close was so distraught by the alteration that she initially refused to take part in the re-shoot.
Return of the Bunny Boiler: Fatal Attraction’s World Stage Premiere
Nico Hines
March 26, 2014
If they liked it, fine; if not, they would often suggest an alteration.
More Juicy Election Details
The Daily Beast
January 11, 2010

Historical Examples of alteration

These are my reasons in brief, for the alteration of my style.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
If, upon perusal of them, you think any alteration necessary, it shall be made.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
To effect this object, an alteration of the French frontier is indispensable.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes
I do not know what you mean, madam, by alteration in Mr. Vivian!
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
What alteration has happened to give rise to this new idea of connexion?
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
David Hume

British Dictionary definitions for alteration

alteration

noun

an adjustment, change, or modification

the act of altering or state of being altered

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for alteration

late 14c., "action of altering," from Old French alteracion (14c.) "change, alteration," and directly from Medieval Latin alterationem (nominative alteratio), noun of action from past participle stem of Late Latin alterare (see alter). Meaning "change in character or appearance" is from 1530s; that of "change in ready-made clothes to suit a customer's specifications" is from 1901. Related: Alterations.