altered

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

Examples of altered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Enders was charged with presenting an altered state lottery ticket, forging a lottery ticket with intent to defraud and grand theft. —Jack Jankowski, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 May 2026

Common symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and an altered mental state. —Sam Woodward, USA Today, 9 May 2026

An altered Antarctic landscape could have significant impacts on its wildlife, from the microorganisms and algae that prop up the food chain – food for krill which, in turn, feed many of the region’s whales – to the penguins and seals that rely on sea ice for feeding and resting. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 8 May 2026

Investigators say the charges follow an auto theft unit investigation in which detectives recovered multiple vehicles and documentation linked to altered titles. —Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 5 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of alter

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for altered

• unaltered
• faltered