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modifier

[ mod-uh-fahy-er ]
/ ˈmɒd əˌfaɪ ər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR modifier ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that modifies.
Grammar.
  1. a word, phrase, or sentence element that limits or qualifies the sense of another word, phrase, or element in the same construction.
  2. the immediate constituent of an endocentric construction that is not the head.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!
Question 1 of 10
Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.
Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.
It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of modifier

First recorded in 1575–85; modify + -er1

usage note for modifier

See dangling participle, misplaced modifier.

Words nearby modifier

modification, modificatory, modified american plan, modified radical mastectomy, modified-release, modifier, modify, modigliani, modillion, modiolus, modish
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to modifier

adjective, adverb, conditioner, transformer, alterant, alterer

Example sentences from the Web for modifier

British Dictionary definitions for modifier

modifier
/ (ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪə) /

noun

Also called: qualifier grammar a word or phrase that qualifies the sense of another word; for example, the noun alarm is a modifier of clock in alarm clock and the phrase every day is an adverbial modifier of walks in he walks every day
a person or thing that modifies
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

Cultural definitions for modifier

modifier

A word or group of words that describes or limits a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb. Modifiers applied to nouns are adjectives. Modifiers applied to verbs or adjectives are adverbs. Those that are applied to adverbs themselves are also called adverbs.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.