modification

[ mod-uh-fi-key-shuh n ]

/ ˌmɒd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR modification ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance of modifying.

the state of being modified; partial alteration.

a modified form; variety.

Biology. a change in a living organism acquired from its own activity or environment and not transmitted to its descendants.

limitation or qualification.

Grammar.

the use of a modifier in a construction, or of modifiers in a class of constructions or in a language.
the meaning of a modifier, especially as it affects the meaning of the word or other form modified: Limitation is one kind of modification.
a change in the phonological shape of a morpheme, word, or other form when it functions as an element in a construction, as the change of not to -n't in doesn't.
an adjustment in the form of a word as it passes from one language to another.

Nearby words

Origin of modification

1495–1505; < Latin modificātiōn- (stem of modificātiō), equivalent to modificāt(us) (past participle of modificāre; see modify) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsin·ter·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, nouno·ver·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, nounpre·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, nounre·mod·i·fi·ca·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for modification

To be clear, these numbers are exactly what each organization reported without manipulation or modification.
Flushing Money Down the Tea Party Toilet|Tom Dougherty|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Trafficking is complicated and the source material is subject to “modification.”
Heroin: America’s Silent Assassin|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Robert M. Lober, MD, PhD|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is not clear if this could lead to a modification of stated U.S. policy that Iran should not have “one centrifuge turning.”
What Obama and Rouhani Want From Geneva|Michael Adler|October 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
With every modification, that nostalgia starts to look and feel more like a dream.
Penn State Goes Too Far in Its Purge of All Things Paterno|John Hendrickson|August 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST

RULES ARE SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION BY THE NEWSWEEK DAILY BEAST COMPANY.
Newsweek & The Daily Beast-Open Hands Prize for Commentary: Official Rules|The Daily Beast|May 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There should be some reduction and it may be modification in the grain for a short time.
Pratt's Practical Pointers on the Care of Livestock and Poultry|Pratt Food Co.
Case is that modification of a noun or a pronoun which denotes its relation to other words in the sentence.
Business English|Rose Buhlig
I wonder nobody has proposed a modification of this form of Home Rule for Ireland now.
Ireland Under Coercion (2nd ed.) (1 of 2) (1888)|William Henry Hurlbert
The treaty which I now submit to you proposes no alteration, mitigation, or modification of the rules of the law of nations.
A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Tyler|Compiled by James D. Richardson
(C) Introduction or modification of laws to regulate or to remove certain restrictions on the coal industry.
The Economic Aspect of Geology|C. K. Leith

British Dictionary definitions for modification

modification

/ (ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən) /

noun

the act of modifying or the condition of being modified

something modified; the result of a modification

a small change or adjustment

grammar the relation between a modifier and the word or phrase that it modifies

Derived Formsmodificatory or modificative, adjective

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 modification

modification

c.1500, in philosophy, from Middle French modification (14c.) and directly from Latin modificationem (nominative modificatio) "a measuring," noun of action from past participle stem of modificare (see modify). Meaning "alteration to an object to bring it up to date" is from 1774. Biological sense is attested by 1896.

Medicine definitions for modification