Meanings
plural dangling modifiers
- grammarA word or clause that qualifies another word or clause ambiguously, sometimes causing confusion (as to which meaning was intended) or (more often) causing unintended humorousness.
The dangling modifier is a curse of modern writing, particularly obituaries.
2004, Wynford Hicks, Quite Literally: Problem Words and how to Use Them, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 45Synonyms: dangler
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA word or clause that qualifies another word or clause ambiguously, sometimes causing confusion (as to which meaning was intended) or (more often) causing unintended humorousness.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., ‘when young’ in ‘when young, circuses appeal to all of us’
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 懸垂修飾語 /悬垂修饰语
- 懸垂修飾語 /悬垂修饰语word or clause
Polish modyfikator bezpodmiotowy
- modyfikator bezpodmiotowyword or clause
Swedish syftningsfel
- syftningsfelword or clause
Cite this entry
dangling modifier. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dangling%20modifier
“dangling modifier.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dangling%20modifier. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dangling modifier,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dangling%20modifier.
Source: dangling modifier on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.