qualifier

American  

[kwol-uh-fahy-er] / ˈkwɒl əˌfaɪ ər /

noun

• qualifiers
  plural

1. a person or thing that qualifies.

2. Grammar.

   1. a word that qualifies the meaning of another, as an adjective or adverb; modifier.

   2. an adverb that modifies adjectives or other adverbs and typically expresses degree or intensity, as very, somewhat, or quite.

---

qualifier British  

/ ˈkwɒlɪˌfaɪə /

noun

1. a person or thing that qualifies, esp a contestant in a competition who wins a preliminary heat or contest and so earns the right to take part in the next round

2. a preliminary heat or contest

3. grammar another word for modifier

---

Usage

What is a qualifier? A qualifier is a person or thing that provides necessary skills or properties, as in The qualifier to enter the race was an ability to run the track three times without stopping. In grammar, a qualifier is a word that modifies another, as with adjectives and adverbs. When someone asks you to hand them the blue book, they are telling you something about the book so you know which one they want. Blue is modifying book. In other words, it’s acting as a qualifier. Example: The qualifier advanced to the next round of the competition.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• qualifiers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of qualifier

First recorded in 1555–65; qualify + -er ¹

Explanation

If person is a qualifier, they've done well enough at some sport or activity to make it into an important competition. Qualifiers have made it into the big league. When a word, rather than a person or a team, is described as a qualifier, it means that it modifies another word. Grammatical qualifiers are often adjectives. In the sentence "That is a fluffy cat," the word fluffy is a qualifier, attributing a specific quality to the word cat. The root of qualifier is the Latin qualis, "Of what sort?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

qualifier qualifiers

Oddly, only one playoff qualifier is among the 14 mid-range payrolls of roughly $100 million to $200 million — the Milwaukee Brewers, who achieved baseball’s best record at 103-59 while paying its roster $143.5 million.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The book does this as well, though often, Huberman will include a qualifier, disavowing responsibility after sharing evidence that’s scantier than you might like.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026

In June 2023, he was handed the England number 10 shirt for a qualifier in Malta, a game which the Three Lions won 4-0 - and in which Alexander-Arnold himself scored from midfield.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

The fourth seed beat Dutch qualifier Mees Rottgering 6-3 6-3 to reach the last eight.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Since there are serious consequences to misinterpreting these statements as absolute laws, a responsible writer should insert a qualifier like on average or all things being equal, together with a slightly or somewhat.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Dan picked up his first flag at 10 years old, working his way up from grassroots football to the lines at more than 200 Premier League clashes and World Cup qualifiers.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

Here is a look at the injury status and hopeful returns of impact players on playoff qualifiers and contenders:

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

O’Neal said the new league model will expand the field for events from 57 to 75 players, introduce a 54-hole cut and create Monday qualifiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Joining him in the men's draw are Norrie and Jan Choinski, qualifiers Toby Samuel and Harry Wendelken, and lucky loser Jacob Fearnley.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The net effect was the opposite of the usual procedure, in which the fastest qualifiers earned the favored lanes and the slower finishers had to make do with the least favored lanes.

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