qualifier

American  

[kwol-uh-fahy-er] / ˈkwɒl əˌfaɪ ər /

noun

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.

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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

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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.

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

With Richardson in the coaching box, Raducanu made history by winning the US Open without dropping a set as an 18-year-old qualifier in 2021.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

It exists as an economic qualifier and becomes a tool for building up cultural influence in a globalizing medium.

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

Norwood senior and USC commit Andrew Maksymowski, who was the fastest qualifier in both the 200 and 500 freestyle, defended both titles, winning the 200 in a personal-best 1:34.70 and the distance race in 4:22.85.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Don’t worry too much about the title’s qualifier; though characters get zestily killed, they also tend to get resurrected as needed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 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