noun
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an adjustment, change, or modification
-
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:
If Meta did enact such changes, it would mark a significant alteration to the experience of its platforms.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
They were similar to amino acids previously detected in CM2 chondrites that experienced more moderate water alteration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
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
Gene, protein, function, and fate were strung in a chain: one chemical alteration in one base pair in DNA was sufficient to “encode” a radical change in human fate.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Over the years Universal has been required to make alterations to its attractions, such as replacing some live special effects in its “Waterworld” show with prerecorded digital tracks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus continued to ring the changes as he again made 10 starting alterations.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Canadian construction advanced for the first time in five months, helped by a rise in residential building, with increased activity in alterations and improvements and in the construction of multi-unit homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Metabolic changes follow, with epigenetic alterations appearing later.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
But now here it was, and with a few alterations, it would fit me perfectly.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
