# modification

/ˌmɑdəfəˈkeɪʃən/ (US) · /mˌɒdɪfɪkˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/modification
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. an adjustment or change

noun · CEFR B2

a small change made to something to improve it or make it more suitable.

For teachers: the act of making a minor alteration or adjustment to something while keeping its essential character intact.

- The engineers made a slight modification to the engine to help it use less fuel.
- The architect suggested a minor modification to the original floor plan to allow for more natural light in the central hallway.

### 2. grammar/linguistics

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

the way a word's meaning is changed or limited by another word.

For teachers: the structural relationship where one word or phrase limits or qualifies the meaning of another.

- In the phrase 'red apple', the word 'red' is a modification of 'apple'.
- The student struggled with noun modification, often placing the adjective after the noun instead of before it.

Usage: In linguistics, this refers to the relationship between a head and its dependents.

### 3. biological change

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a change in a living thing caused by its environment that is not passed on to its babies.

For teachers: a non-heritable change in an organism's phenotype resulting from environmental influence.

- The plant's smaller leaves were a modification caused by the dry soil, not its genes.
- Biologists distinguish between genetic mutations and environmental modifications that do not alter the underlying DNA sequence of the species.

## Examples

- The car needs a small modification to run on electricity.
- After the first round of testing, the engineers suggested a modification to the software to prevent it from crashing.
- The architect proposed a slight modification to the original floor plan to allow more natural light into the central living area without increasing the total construction cost.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.