qualifier

American  

[kwol-uh-fahy-er] / ˈkwɒl əˌfaɪ ər /

noun

qualifiers plural

1. a person or thing that qualifies.

2. Grammar.

   1. a word that qualifies the meaning of another, as an adjective or adverb; modifier.

   2. an adverb that modifies adjectives or other adverbs and typically expresses degree or intensity, as very, somewhat, or quite.

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qualifier British  

/ ˈkwɒlɪˌfaɪə /

noun

1. a person or thing that qualifies, esp a contestant in a competition who wins a preliminary heat or contest and so earns the right to take part in the next round

2. a preliminary heat or contest

3. grammar another word for modifier

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Usage

What is a qualifier? A qualifier is a person or thing that provides necessary skills or properties, as in The qualifier to enter the race was an ability to run the track three times without stopping. In grammar, a qualifier is a word that modifies another, as with adjectives and adverbs. When someone asks you to hand them the blue book, they are telling you something about the book so you know which one they want. Blue is modifying book. In other words, it’s acting as a qualifier. Example: The qualifier advanced to the next round of the competition.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• qualifiers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of qualifier

First recorded in 1555–65; qualify + -er ¹

Explanation

If person is a qualifier, they've done well enough at some sport or activity to make it into an important competition. Qualifiers have made it into the big league. When a word, rather than a person or a team, is described as a qualifier, it means that it modifies another word. Grammatical qualifiers are often adjectives. In the sentence "That is a fluffy cat," the word fluffy is a qualifier, attributing a specific quality to the word cat. The root of qualifier is the Latin qualis, "Of what sort?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

qualifier qualifiers

Norwegian announcer Bjørge Lillelien delivered an iconic 68-second call after Norway’s 2-1 victory over England in a 1981 World Cup qualifier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Paolini will next face Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk, who beat American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger earlier on Monday.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

He will face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki next after the world number 150 stunned rising Spanish star Rafael Jodar.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

It was more pragmatism than pessimism — a reality of a qualifier navigating her Wimbledon journey one day at a time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

But a big qualifier must be added to this sentence: “in the long run and over large areas.”

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Park was charged by Fifa and a few months later handed a two-match suspension, meaning he sat out two World Cup qualifiers.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

He said that Europeans did not show the same outrage at a suspension of a red card in the World Cup qualifiers against Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

After causing two of the biggest shocks of the first week at Wimbledon, qualifiers Roman Safiullin and Shintaro Mochizuki will now set their sights on toppling two of the favourites for the Wimbledon title.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Ecuador, which finished second in the South American World Cup qualifiers, put up a strong fight, bombarding the Mexican team with crosses, albeit without much organization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Just admit it, without any qualifiers: People can be nice.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx