definitions

modification

[ mod-uh-fi-key-shuh n ]
/ ˌmɒd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /
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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.
  1. the use of a modifier in a construction, or of modifiers in a class of constructions or in a language.
  2. the meaning of a modifier, especially as it affects the meaning of the word or other form modified: Limitation is one kind of modification.
  3. 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.
  4. an adjustment in the form of a word as it passes from one language to another.

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RELATED WORDS

conversion, adjustment, alteration, correction, adaptation, change

Nearby words

modgk, modheb, modicum, modif., modificand, modification, modificatory, modified american plan, modified radical mastectomy, modified-release, modifier

Origin of modification

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

Related forms

in·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

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 Forms

modificatory 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

Medicine definitions for modification

modification

[ mŏd′ə-fĭ-kā′shən ]

n.

Any of the changes in an organism that are caused by environment or activity and are not genetically transmissable to offspring.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for modification

modification

[ mŏd′ə-fĭ-kā′shən ]

A change in an organism that results from external influences and cannot be inherited.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.