1
as in to alter
to limit the meaning of (as a noun) adjectives are words that modify nouns, while adverbs can modify adjectives and verbs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word modify different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of modify are alter, change, and vary. While all these words mean "to make or become different," modify suggests a difference that limits, restricts, or adapts to a new purpose.

modified the building for use by the disabled

When can alter be used instead of modify?

The meanings of alter and modify largely overlap; however, alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.

slightly altered the original design

When is it sensible to use change instead of modify?

The words change and modify are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.

changed the shirt for a larger size

When would vary be a good substitute for modify?

Although the words vary and modify have much in common, vary stresses a breaking away from sameness, duplication, or exact repetition.

vary your daily routine

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of modify The change comes in response to the annual defense policy bill recently passed by Congress, which modified a portion of the Foreign Service Act to now allow the department to implement indefinite suspensions for foreign service employees. Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 28 June 2025 If this part of the bill isn’t modified before its final passage, Congress will have piled on to the obstacles the Trump administration has already put in place to block the right to seek asylum. Bill Frelick, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025 The structure of the drink is an invitation to modify, but the process demands restraint. Rachel King, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025 The future of gene therapy At Miami-Dade’s public hospital system Jackson Health, new advancements in genetic research recently helped doctors modify a patient’s blood cells to lessen the effects of sickle cell disease, a painful blood disorder that can lead to life-threatening complications. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for modify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modify
Verb
  • Decreasing the available calories isn’t the only way climate change is altering food, however.
    Umair Irfan, Wired News, 28 June 2025
  • With compounded drugs, licensed pharmacists alter, mix or combine ingredients of a drug to customize medicines.
    Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Stay alert for competitive domain markets that change regularly.
    Michael Gargiulo, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • Johnny Depp is reflecting on the relationship that changed the course of his life - both professionally and personally.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • International students don’t qualify for federal aid, and many don’t receive institutional scholarships either, which means that most of them pay full fare tuition.
    Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
  • Less than 40% of the 120,000 people experiencing food insecurity in Jackson County qualify for SNAP assistance, McAfee-Bryant said.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • The agency has also purchased hundreds of E-Transit delivery vans from Ford and spent more than half a billion dollars remodeling its outdated mail and package sorting facilities to accommodate electric and low-emissions vehicles.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 June 2025
  • Daniels compares the process to remodeling a house.
    Maribel Lopez, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • One proposal being out forward by the experts is to transform the DGCA into an independent, oversight body along the lines of U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority.
    Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • But the developers’ pitch to transform Coney Island into a year-round destination has done little to assuage resistance from locals.
    Téa Kvetenadze, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Modify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modify. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on modify

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