modification

American  

[mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌmɒd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• modifications
  plural

1. an act or instance of modifying.

2. the state of being modified; partial alteration.

3. a modified form; variety.

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

5. limitation or qualification.

6. 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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modification British  

/ ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of modifying or the condition of being modified

2. something modified; the result of a modification

3. a small change or adjustment

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

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modification Scientific  

/ mŏd′ə-fĭ-kā′shən /

1. A change in an organism that results from external influences and cannot be inherited.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intermodification
  noun
• overmodification
  noun
• premodification
  noun
• remodification
  noun
• modificatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• modifications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of modification

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

Explanation

A modification is a change or alteration, usually to make something work better. If you want to change something — in other words, modify it — you need to make a modification. Lots of things require modification, because they get older or just because they can be improved. A car needs modification — in the form of snow tires — to be ready for the winter. Computer programs need modification all the time, because of new products or viruses. When you think of the word modification, think "change."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modification modifications

As with open-source software, modification of weights can be useful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

This model of physicochemical modification could improve scientists' understanding of how oceanic plates develop and how large volcanic provinces reshape Earth's interior.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

In implementing the law, the government further defined "harm" to include "significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering."

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The HSE said that the hazards arising from this modification had "not been properly identified or managed".

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

But it was the phrase genetic modification that was making him ill.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Barad said that polygenic scores could eventually help clinicians identify people who are more likely to experience unfavorable cholesterol changes after certain dietary modifications.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

That’s what makes our songs Neo, and if we don’t like certain versions of it, we will do another recording of it and do some modifications.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

These modifications can influence whether genes are switched on or off.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

The device features a privacy recording light to notify wearers when it’s recording, but modifications available all over the internet allow users to sidestep it.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

In his correspondence with the boatbuilder, he threatened to buy his equipment from an English supplier, demanded price concessions, and insisted on design modifications if he were to buy.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• adjustment
• alteration
• conversion