altered

1 of 2

adjective

al·​tered ˈȯl-tərd 

1

: made different in some way

… she addressed me again, speaking in very altered tones; so altered, that I hardly recognised them as hers.

—Wilkie Collins

… no great change had taken place inside him, but his exterior was visibly altered.

—Booth Tarkington

2

: castrated sense 1a

I've noticed that my altered cats and my older cats have more dandruff than the unaltered and younger ones.

—Susie Page

altered

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of alter

Examples of altered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The regions of the brain that control emotion and memory, like the amygdala and hippocampus, also function differently during this altered state. — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026

Research has linked altered cortisol activity with greater abdominal and visceral fat, although the relationship is complex. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Current quality checks are efficient at detecting simple genetic changes, such as an altered DNA letter or a small piece of DNA that has been removed or added. — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

In private, Future Nyota explains what’s going on, describing the altered timeline and Scotty’s death. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of alter

First Known Use

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for altered

• unaltered
• faltered