modification
Other forms: modifications
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."
Definitions of modification
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the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)
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synonyms:
adjustment, alteration
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types:
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laxation, loosening
the act of making something less tight
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tightening
the act of making something tighter
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accommodation
(physiology) the automatic adjustment in focal length of the natural lens of the eye
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adaptation
(physiology) the responsive adjustment of a sense organ (as the eye) to varying conditions (as of light)
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tune
the adjustment of a radio receiver or other circuit to a required frequency
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undoing, unfastening, untying
loosening the ties that fasten something
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dark adaptation
the process of adjusting the eyes to low levels of illumination; cones adapt first; rods continue to adapt for up to four hours
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light adaptation
the process of adjusting the eyes to relatively high levels of illumination; the pupil constricts and the cones system is operative
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take-up
the action of taking up as by tightening or absorption or reeling in
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type of:
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change
the action of changing something
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an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another“the neighborhood had undergone few modifications since his last visit years ago”
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synonyms:
alteration, change
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types:
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acceleration
an increase in rate of change
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deceleration, retardation, slowing
a decrease in rate of change
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avulsion
an abrupt change in the course of a stream that forms the boundary between two parcels of land resulting in the loss of part of the land of one landowner and a consequent increase in the land of another
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break
an abrupt change in the tone or register of the voice (as at puberty or due to emotion)
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mutation
a change or alteration in form or qualities
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sublimation
(psychology) modifying the natural expression of an impulse or instinct (especially a sexual one) to one that is socially acceptable
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surprise
a sudden unexpected event
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birth, nascence, nascency, nativity
the event of being born
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breakup, detachment, separation
coming apart
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vagary
an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.)
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fluctuation, variation
an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change
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conversion
a change of religion
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death, decease, demise, expiry
the event of dying or departure from life
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decrease, drop-off, lessening
a change downward
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destabilisation, destabilization
an event that causes a loss of equilibrium (as of a ship or aircraft)
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increase
a change resulting in an increase
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easing, moderation, relief
a change for the better
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deformation
alteration in the shape or dimensions of an object as a result of the application of stress to it
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transition
a change from one place or state or subject or stage to another
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shift, transformation, transmutation
a qualitative change
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scintillation, sparkling, twinkle
a rapid change in brightness; a brief spark or flash
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play, shimmer
a weak and tremulous light
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transmutation
(physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment)
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damage, harm, impairment
the occurrence of a change for the worse
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development
a recent event that has some relevance for the present situation
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revolution
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
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chromosomal mutation, genetic mutation, mutation
(genetics) any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism
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sex change
a change in a person's physical sexual characteristics (as by surgery and hormone treatments)
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loss of consciousness
the occurrence of a loss of the ability to perceive and respond
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getaway, pickup
the attribute of being capable of rapid acceleration
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precipitation
an unexpected acceleration or hastening
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bombshell, thunderbolt, thunderclap
a shocking surprise
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coup de theatre
a dramatic surprise
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eye opener
something surprising and revealing
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peripeteia, peripetia, peripety
a sudden and unexpected change of fortune or reverse of circumstances (especially in a literary work)
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blow, shock
an unpleasant or disappointing surprise
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stunner
an unexpected and amazing event
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disembarrassment
something that extricates you from embarrassment
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shrinkage, shrinking
the process or result of becoming less or smaller
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breach, break, falling out, rift, rupture, severance
a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
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delivery
the event of giving birth
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live birth
the birth of a living fetus (regardless of the length of gestation)
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posthumous birth
birth of a child by Caesarean section after the death of the mother
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posthumous birth
birth of a child after the father has died
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rebirth, reincarnation, renascence
a second or new birth
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fatality, human death
a death resulting from an accident or a disaster
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martyrdom
death that is imposed because of the person's adherence of a religious faith or cause
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megadeath
the death of a million people
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departure, exit, expiration, going, loss, passing, release
euphemistic expressions for death
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wrongful death
a death that results from a wrongful act or from negligence; a death that can serve as the basis for a civil action for damages on behalf of the dead person's family or heirs
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vicissitude
a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something
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allomerism
(chemistry) variability in chemical composition without variation in crystalline form
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casualty
a decrease of military personnel or equipment
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Christianisation, Christianization
conversion to Christianity
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sinking
a slow fall or decline (as for lack of strength)
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attrition
a wearing down to weaken or destroy
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breath of fresh air
a welcome relief
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advance, betterment, improvement
a change for the better; progress in development
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ground swell
an obvious change of public opinion or political sentiment that occurs without leadership or overt expression
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jump, leap, saltation
an abrupt transition
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population shift
a change in the relative numbers of the different groups of individuals making up a population
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pyrolysis
transformation of a substance produced by the action of heat
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sea change
a profound transformation
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sublimation
(chemistry) a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state without becoming liquid
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tin disease, tin pest, tin plague
the transformation of ordinary white tin into powdery grey tin at very cold temperatures
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departure, deviation, difference, divergence
a variation that deviates from the standard or norm
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break
the occurrence of breaking
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augmentation
the amount by which something increases
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concentration
an increase in density
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explosion
a sudden great increase
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jump, leap
a sudden and decisive increase
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run-up, runup
a substantial increase over a relatively short period of time
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waxing
a gradual increase in magnitude or extent
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changeover, conversion, transition
an event that results in a transformation
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detriment, hurt
a damage or loss
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dwindling, dwindling away
a becoming gradually less
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waning
a gradual decrease in magnitude or extent
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turn, turn of events, twist
an unforeseen development
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phenomenon
a remarkable person, thing, or development
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complication, ramification
a development that complicates a situation
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Cultural Revolution, Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
a radical reform in China initiated by Mao Zedong in 1965 and carried out largely by the Red Guard; intended to eliminate counterrevolutionary elements in the government it resulted in purges of the intellectuals and socioeconomic chaos
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green revolution
the introduction of pesticides and high-yield grains and better management during the 1960s and 1970s which greatly increased agricultural productivity
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deletion
(genetics) the loss or absence of one or more nucleotides from a chromosome
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inversion
(genetics) a kind of mutation in which the order of the genes in a section of a chromosome is reversed
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transposition
(genetics) a kind of mutation in which a chromosomal segment is transfered to a new position on the same or another chromosome
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gene mutation, point mutation
(genetics) a mutation due to an intramolecular reorganization of a gene
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reversion
(genetics) a return to a normal phenotype (usually resulting from a second mutation)
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saltation
(genetics) a mutation that drastically changes the phenotype of an organism or species
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degeneration, retrogression
passing from a more complex to a simpler biological form
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strengthening
becoming stronger
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weakening
becoming weaker
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deformation, distortion
a change for the worse
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ladder, ravel, run
a row of unravelled stitches
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permutation, replacement, substitution, switch, transposition
an event in which one thing is substituted for another
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business cycle, trade cycle
recurring fluctuations in economic activity consisting of recession and recovery and growth and decline
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daily variation
fluctuations that occur between one day and the next
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diurnal variation
fluctuations that occur during each day
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tide
something that may increase or decrease (like the tides of the sea)
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deliquium, faint, swoon, syncope
a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain
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shear
(physics) a deformation of an object in which parallel planes remain parallel but are shifted in a direction parallel to themselves
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strain
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
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type of:
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happening, natural event, occurrence, occurrent
an event that happens
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slightly modified copy; not an exact copy“a modification of last year's model”
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type of:
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copy
a thing made to be similar or identical to another thing
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copy
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the grammatical relation that exists when a word qualifies the meaning of the phrase
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synonyms:
limiting, qualifying
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types:
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restrictiveness
a grammatical qualification that makes the meaning more specific (`red hat' has a more specific meaning than `hat')
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apposition
a grammatical relation between a word and a noun phrase that follows
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type of:
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grammatical relation
a linguistic relation established by grammar
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restrictiveness
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Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing modification
Genre Study 1 – Expository Text
This list covers Before Columbus and "Looking Back to Move Forward."
My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
Science fiction fan Ebony-Grace struggles to adjust when she leaves her sheltered life in Huntsville, Alabama to spend the summer with her father in New York City.
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