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 credits were modified and extended during the administration of President Joe Biden as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Monica Samayoa, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2025 To push them along, Johnson is keeping the House GOP conference at home, opening himself to Democratic attacks along the way but signaling he has no interest in and is feeling no pressure to modify his chamber’s spending bill. Ian Swanson, The Hill, 6 Oct. 2025 In 2024, the comp committee canceled 300,000 stock options subject to the $400 hurdle and modified the criterion for 550,000 stock options subject to the $350 hurdle to require that Corpay hit a closing stock price at or above $350 for at least three trading days by the end of 2024. Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025 The company also sells a long-tail cargo ebike that can't be modified to smaller sizes for €5,490. New Atlas, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for modify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modify
Verb
  • Volcanic activity can also trigger earthquakes, especially when magma shifts beneath the surface or alters pressure in surrounding rock.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • But the clearest effects may be seen in how people alter their behaviors in relation to the changing climate.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But a left knee injury in March 2024 changed his football trajectory.
    Dane Brugler, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The shutdown could change all that.
    Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Losing or changing jobs can also cause households that were previously ineligible to qualify for assistance.
    Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Trump did not specify why certain federal workers would not qualify to receive back pay owed to them.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Interior designer Richard Brayton remodeled the house in 1990s.
    David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The program, which is estimated to initially cost the brand about $1 billion, involves remodeling more than 1,000 Starbucks locations in the US and Canada over the next year along with closing more than 400 in the last three months.
    Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The professor explains that the process works similarly to a conventional camera, but instead of capturing light waves, radio waves are transformed into a detailed image.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The 375-guest rooms were transformed and reworked to include the debut five specialty suites — spanning 1,550 to more than 5,000 square feet — and the 20,000-square-foot plus Guerlain Wellness Spa.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Modify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modify. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

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