variation

American  

[vair-ee-ay-shuhn] / ˌvɛər iˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• variations
  plural

1. the act, process, or accident of varying in condition, character, or degree.

   Prices are subject to variation.

   Synonyms:

   difference, divergence, deviation, modification, alteration, mutation

2. an instance of this.

   There is a variation in the quality of fabrics in this shipment.

3. amount, rate, extent, or degree of change.

   a temperature variation of 40° in a particular climate.

4. a different form of something; variant.

5. Music.

   1. the transformation of a melody or theme with changes or elaborations in harmony, rhythm, and melody.

   2. a varied form of a melody or theme, especially one of a series of such forms developing the capacities of the subject.

6. Ballet. a solo dance, especially one forming a section of a pas de deux.

7. Astronomy. any deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body, especially of a planetary or satellite orbit.

8. Also called magnetic declination, magnetic variation. Navigation. the angle between the geographic and the magnetic meridian at a given point, expressed in plus degrees east or minus degrees west of true north.

9. Biology. a difference or deviation in structure or character from others of the same species or group.

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variation British  

/ ˌvɛərɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, condition, or result of changing or varying; diversity

2. an instance of varying or the amount, rate, or degree of such change

3. something that differs from a standard or convention

4. music

   1. a repetition of a musical theme in which the rhythm, harmony, or melody is altered or embellished

   2. ( as modifier )

      variation form

5. biology

   1. a marked deviation from the typical form or function

   2. a characteristic or an organism showing this deviation

6. astronomy any change in or deviation from the mean motion or orbit of a planet, satellite, etc, esp a perturbation of the moon

7. another word for magnetic declination

8. ballet a solo dance

9. linguistics any form of morphophonemic change, such as one involved in inflection, conjugation, or vowel mutation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intervariation
  noun
• nonvariation
  noun
• overvariation
  noun
• prevariation
  noun
• self-variation
  noun
• variational
  adjective
• variative
  adjective
• variationally
  adverb
• variatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• variations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of variation

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin variātiōn-, stem of variātiō; equivalent to variate + -ion; replacing Middle English variacioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

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Explanation

Variation means a deviation from the norm, like the variation of colors in nature. A variation from an accepted standard can be very important. For example, a variation in a heartbeat pattern can tell a doctor that a heart attack might be imminent. The variation in weather temperatures from what is expected indicates that our climate is changing due to global warming. But not all variation is a bad thing. For example, even within breeds, there is a wide variation in the coloration of dogs, a trait that makes each puppy uniquely lovable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

variation variations

Of 119 S&P 500 companies discussing the technology on investor calls, securities filings or news releases since last week, five have used some variation on “superintelligence,” a Wall Street Journal analysis found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

For his ninth LP, he decided to write songs inspired by his youth and used two different backing bands to create variation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The biggest variation was seen in access to GLP-1 medication, which is widely used to treat type 2 diabetes but was approved for weight management in 2023.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

That variation isn’t reflected in the headline number, which showed a 2.1% yearly increase for home prices nationally.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

They pair up and then change partners, like a variation on the tarantella, the Italian dance of celebration.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

But we also want to move away from a cultural view that treats men as the default and women as aberrations, or at least variations on a male norm.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

The country’s subsequent artistic flowering, rich in variations on impressionism, expressionism and more, is on full view in the Hungarian National Gallery, ensconced since the 1970s in Buda’s hilltop Royal Palace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The variations over 20 years were smaller, but still huge.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Mak says the tool was "surprisingly consistent" across common real-world photos despite variations in pose, lighting, facial expression and make-up.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

He then began to show me, from memory, game after game—it seemed like dozens—focusing on the openings that Bronstein had played against Bobby’s favorite variations.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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Related Words

• abnormality
• alteration
• change
• deviation
• discrepancy
• disparity
• divergence
• diversity
• fluctuation
• innovation
• modification
• mutation
• shift
• variety

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