modulation

noun

mod·u·la·tion | \ ˌmä-jə-ˈlā-shən

Definition of modulation

1 : an inflection of the tone or pitch of the voice specifically : the use of stress or pitch to convey meaning

2 : a regulating according to measure or proportion : tempering

3 : a change from one musical key to another by modulating

4 : the process of modulating a carrier or signal (as in radio) also : the result of this process

Examples of modulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each data stream still needs to have independent modulation to encode the data, so there is no saving in power there. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "661Tbps through a single optical fiber: The mind boggles," 1 Aug. 2018 Heat modulation proves the secret to good grilling: Use enough for flavor, perfect texture and browning, but not so much that food tastes burnt or acrid. — Jeanmarie Brownson, charlotteobserver, "Control the heat to grill the perfect steak," 26 June 2018 And in general, the flashback structure is too herky-jerky for the film’s more delicate emotional modulations. — Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "3 movies you should see in May," 30 May 2018 This conflict plays out in scene after scene, with much variation in circumstance but little modulation in tone. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Russian drama takes the stage at Cannes in the sweet 'Leto' and the scathing 'Donbass'," 11 May 2018 But if a vanilla WIMP were really the source of the annual modulation, the low-energy recoils should change relative to the high-energy recoils, wrote Freese and her coauthors. — Natalie Wolchover, WIRED, "Trouble Detected in Infamous Dark Matter Signal," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'modulation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.