modulation

American  

[moj-uh-ley-shuhn, mod-yuh-] / ˌmɒdʒ əˈleɪ ʃən, ˌmɒd jə- /

noun

1. the act of modulating.

2. the state of being modulated.

3. Music. transition from one key to another.

4. Grammar.

   1. the use of a particular distribution of stress or pitch in a construction, as the use of rising pitch on here in John is here?

   2. the feature of a construction resulting from such use.

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modulation British  

/ ˌmɒdjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of modulating or the condition of being modulated

2. music the transition from one key to another

3. grammar

   1. another word for intonation

   2. the grammatical expression of modality

4. electrical engineering

   1. the act or process of superimposing the amplitude, frequency, phase, etc, of a wave or signal onto another wave (the carrier wave) or signal or onto an electron beam See also amplitude modulation frequency modulation phase modulation velocity modulation

   2. the variation of the modulated signal

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Etymology

Origin of modulation

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin modulātiōn- (stem of modulātiō ) rhythmical measure. See modulate, -ion

Explanation

Modulation is when you control or adjust something, like when you lower your voice to a loud whisper in order to make what you're saying more dramatic and mysterious. The noun modulation has several meanings, including a change of key in music or of the sound of a person's voice. It almost always involves some kind of deliberate modification or slight change, like an actor adjusting his pitch or volume depending on the role he's playing or the mood of the scene. The Latin root, modulationem, has a musical meaning: "rhythm, singing and playing, or melody."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modulation

Drake’s bid to soundtrack the warm weather months is “Janice,” which incorporates a bizarre vocal modulation that makes the simple refrain—“beep beep baby”—strangely addictive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

The detector produced a clear electrical response that matched the on-off modulation pattern of the incoming signal.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026

The study found pro repair signals involving immune modulation, blood vessel and lymphatic development, fibroblast activation, myocardial salvage, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and neurogenesis in rat models.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

Here’s to a lifetime of dopamine modulation, I guess.

From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026

His voice had taken on an unfamiliar modulation, his delivery slower, the temperature of his entire being much lower.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie