noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˌmɑdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:M AA2 D AH0 F AH0 K EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of assessing and prescribing a payment, penalty, price, valuation, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
Qualifier: Scots law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The form of existence belonging to a particular object, entity etc.; a mode of being.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The change undergone by a word when used in a construction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The result of modifying something; a new or changed form.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
The act of making a change to something while keeping its essential character intact; an alteration or adjustment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
behavior modification officer
Jim's modification to the radio's tuning resulted in clearer sound.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A change to an organism as a result of its environment that is not transmissable to offspring.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
Examples
Due to his sunbathing, Jim's body experienced modifications: he got a tan.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
A change to a word when it is borrowed by another language.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
Examples
The Chinese word kòutóu had a modification made to become the English kowtow.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
the act of making something different (as e.g. the size of a garment)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
the grammatical relation that exists when a word qualifies the meaning of the phrase
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: qualifying, limiting
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: grammatical relation
Narrower terms: restrictiveness, apposition
History
Etymology
From Middle English modificatioune, from Middle French modification and its etymon Latin modificātiō (“a measuring”), from modificāre (“to limit, control, modify”); see modify. By surface analysis, modify + -ication.
Across languages
Translations
94 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
modifikim
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Arabic:
تَعْدِيل
(taʕdīl)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Azerbaijani:
modifikasiya
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Bashkir:
үҙгәреү
(üźgərew)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Bashkir:
үҙгәреш
(üźgəreş)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Bulgarian:
модификация
(modifikacija)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Chinese Mandarin:
修改
(xiūgǎi)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Czech:
úprava
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Dutch:
modificatie
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Finnish:
muutostyö
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Finnish:
muutos
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
French:
modification
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Galician:
modificación
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
German:
Änderung
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
German:
Abänderung
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
German:
Modifikation
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Greek:
τροποποίησης
(tropopoíisis)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Haitian Creole:
modifikasyon
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Indonesian:
oprekan
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Indonesian:
koprekan
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Indonesian:
modifikasi
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Indonesian:
pemodifikasian
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Italian:
modificazione
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Japanese:
修正
(shūsei)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Korean:
수정
(sujeong)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Latin:
modificatio
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Malay:
pengubahsuaian
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Malay:
modifikasi
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Maltese:
modifikazzjoni
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Māori:
whakarerekētanga
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Norwegian Bokmål:
modifikasjon
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Norwegian Bokmål:
modifisering
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Norwegian Nynorsk:
modifikasjon
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Norwegian Nynorsk:
modifisering
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Portuguese:
modificação
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Romanian:
modificare
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Russian:
модификация
(modifikacija)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Slovene:
modifikácija
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Spanish:
modificación
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Tagalog:
pagpapasadya
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Tagalog:
pagsasaayos
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Tagalog:
pagpapabago
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Tagalog:
modipikasyon
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Tagalog:
pagmomodipika
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Tajik:
ислоҳ
(isloh)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Telugu:
సవరణ
(savaraṇa)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Turkish:
değişiklik
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Turkish:
değiştirme
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Ukrainian:
видозміна
(vydozmina)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Ukrainian:
модифікація
(modyfikacija)
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Vietnamese:
sửa đổi
— act or result of modifying or condition of being modified
Albanian:
modifikim
— alteration or adjustment
Arabic:
تَعْدِيل
(taʕdīl)
— alteration or adjustment
Azerbaijani:
modifikasiya
— alteration or adjustment
Bulgarian:
промяна
(promjana)
— alteration or adjustment
Bulgarian:
изменение
(izmenenie)
— alteration or adjustment
Chinese Mandarin:
修改
(xiūgǎi)
— alteration or adjustment
Czech:
úprava
— alteration or adjustment
Dutch:
modificatie
— alteration or adjustment
Finnish:
muutos
— alteration or adjustment
French:
modification
— alteration or adjustment
German:
Änderung
— alteration or adjustment
German:
Abänderung
— alteration or adjustment
German:
Modifikation
— alteration or adjustment
Greek:
τροποποίησης
(tropopoíisis)
— alteration or adjustment
Haitian Creole:
modifikasyon
— alteration or adjustment
Indonesian:
pengoprekan
— alteration or adjustment
Indonesian:
ubah suai
— alteration or adjustment
Indonesian:
modifikasi
— alteration or adjustment
Italian:
modificazione
— alteration or adjustment
Japanese:
修正
(shūsei)
— alteration or adjustment
Korean:
수정
(sujeong)
— alteration or adjustment
Latin:
modificatio
— alteration or adjustment
Malay:
pengubahsuaian
— alteration or adjustment
Malay:
modifikasi
— alteration or adjustment
Maltese:
modifikazzjoni
— alteration or adjustment
Portuguese:
modificação
— alteration or adjustment
Romanian:
modificare
— alteration or adjustment
Russian:
модификации
(modifikacii)
— alteration or adjustment
Slovene:
modifikácija
— alteration or adjustment
Spanish:
modificación
— alteration or adjustment
Turkish:
değişiklik
— alteration or adjustment
Turkish:
değiştirme
— alteration or adjustment
Ukrainian:
видозміна
(vydozmina)
— alteration or adjustment
Ukrainian:
модифікація
(modyfikacija)
— alteration or adjustment
Vietnamese:
sự sửa đổi
— alteration or adjustment
Dutch:
modificatie
— change to an organism
Finnish:
muutos
— change to an organism
German:
Modifikation
— change to an organism
Italian:
modificazione
— change to an organism
Romanian:
modificare
— change to an organism
Russian:
модификации
(modifikacii)
— change to an organism
