variation

noun

var·i·a·tion ˌver-ē-ˈā-shən

Synonyms of variation next

: the act or process of varying : the state or fact of being varied

: an instance of varying

: the extent to which or the range in which a thing varies

: declination sense 6

: a change of algebraic sign between successive terms of a sequence

: a measure of the change in data, a variable, or a function

: the repetition of a musical theme with modifications in such elements as rhythm, melody, harmony, key, tempo, and accompaniment

: divergence in the structural or functional characteristics of an organism from the species or population norm or average

: something (such as an individual or group) that exhibits variation

: a solo dance in classic ballet

: a repetition in modern ballet of a movement sequence with changes

variational

ˌver-ē-ˈā-shnəl

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

variationally adverb

Example Sentences

the movie begins with a somewhat irreverent variation on the Nativity story the latest in a long line of variations in her hair color

Recent Examples on the Web And, like each of these pieces of essential hunting gear, turkey decoys are practically without number and variation. —

M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 25 Apr. 2023 The authors found that pay across the two countries displayed substantial variation. —

Cassie Werber, Quartz, 20 Apr. 2023 However, they are known to warm the climate system, not cool it, said Fahey, who contributed to a research paper on aviation and climate variation. —

Eleanor Mccrary, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2023 Defense experts offered a variety of diagnoses for Miller, including Other Specified Dissociative Disorder — the illness at the centerpiece of the defense — and autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression, PTSD and its complex variation, and others. —

Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2023 Reverse Lunge 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side play iconThe triangle icon that indicates to play Kick your lunge in reverse, which can be a lower impact option for your front knee than the forward variation. —

Brett Williams, Men's Health, 30 Mar. 2023 If dark energy is just the cosmological constant, with no variation, our universe will expand eternally into a very lonely place; in this scenario, all the stars beyond our local cluster of galaxies would be invisible to us, too red to be detected. —

Briley Lewis, Popular Science, 20 Mar. 2023 In the real world, there's no real reason (short of a doctor's note) to only do one of these variations. —

Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 8 Apr. 2023 The biggest driving factors, the committee found, were batters attempting to hit the ball harder and higher—as statistical analysis suggests teams do better if batters always swing for the fence—and small physical differences in drag caused by variations in the ball’s stitching. —

Bychristian Elliott, science.org, 7 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'variation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English variacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French variacion "variance, discrepancy," borrowed from Latin variātiōn-, variātiō "diversification, divergence," from variāre "to make changeable, vary" + -tiōn- -tiō, suffix of deverbal nouns

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of variation was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century