Meanings
modify1
present singular third person modifies · participle present modifying · participle past modified · past modified · first person past singular modified · archaic present second person singular modifiest · past second person singular modified · archaic past second person singular modifiedst · present singular third person modifies · archaic present singular third person modifieth · past singular third person modified · past plural modified · past subjunctive modified · participle present modifying · participle past modified
- intransitiveTo be or become modified.
- transitiveTo set bounds to; to moderate.
- transitivegrammarTo qualify the meaning of.
Adjectives modify nouns.
2016, Allen Ascher, The New Harbrace Guide: Genres for Composing1 more example
There is inherently no ordering to the modification and no hierarchy of modification: that is, both adjectives modify the substantive and both apply equally to the substantive[…]
1977, Linda R. Waugh, A Semantic Analysis of Word Order: Position of the Adjective in French
Modify2
Synonyms & antonyms
verbcause to change; make different; cause a transformation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
modify · verb
- Latinmodificare“to limit, control, regulate, deponent”
- Middle Frenchmodifier
- Middle Englishmodifien
- Englishmodify
From Middle English modifien, from Middle French modifier, from Latin modificare (“to limit, control, regulate, deponent”), from modificari (“to measure off, set bound to, moderate”), from modus (“measure”) + facere (“to make”); see mode.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Modify · verb
- Gujaratiમોદી
- EnglishModify
Blend of Modi + modify, after Narendra Modi, from Gujarati મોદી (modī).
More words from Gujarati
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque aldatu
- aldatuto change part of
Bulgarian изменям, променям
- изменям (izmenjam)to change part of
- променям (promenjam)to change part of
- изменям се (izmenjam se)to be or become modified
- променям се (promenjam se)to be or become modified
Catalan modificar
- modificarto change part of
Chinese Mandarin 修改, 修飾 /修饰
- 修改 (xiūgǎi)to change part of
- 修飾 /修饰 (xiūshì)(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
Danish modificere
- modificereto change part of
Dutch modificeren, veranderen
- modificerento change part of
- veranderento change part of
Esperanto modifi, aliigi
- modifito change part of
- aliigito change part of
Estonian muutma
- muutmato change part of
Finnish muokata, muunnella
- muokatato change part of
- muunnellato change part of
- muokkautuato be or become modified
- määrittää(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
French modifier, modifier
- modifierto change part of
- modifier(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
German ändern, abändern
- ändernto change part of
- abändernto change part of
- modifizierento change part of
Greek μετατρέπω, μετατρέπομαι
- μετατρέπω (metatrépo)to change part of
- μετατρέπομαι (metatrépomai)to be or become modified
- προσδιορίζω (prosdiorízo)(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
Hungarian módosít, módosul
- módosítto change part of
- módosulto be or become modified
Indonesian mengoprek, memodifikasi
- mengoprekto change part of
- memodifikasito change part of
- terkoprekto be or become modified
Italian modificare
- modificareto change part of
Japanese 修飾する
- 修飾する (shūshoku suru)(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
Korean 수정하다, 수식하다
- 수정하다 (sujeonghada)to change part of
- 수식하다 (susikada)(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
Latin adaptō
- adaptōto change part of
Malay mengubahshai, memodifikasi
- mengubahshaito change part of
- memodifikasito change part of
Māori whakarerekē, whakakē
- whakarerekēto change part of
- whakakēto change part of
Norwegian modifisere
- modifisereto change part of
Polish modyfikować, zmieniać
- modyfikowaćto change part of
- zmieniaćto change part of
Portuguese modificar
- modificarto change part of
Romanian modifica, a modifica
- modificato change part of
- a modificato be or become modified
Russian изменя́ть, модифици́ровать
- изменя́ть (izmenjátʹ)to change part of
- модифици́ровать (modificírovatʹ)to change part of
- изменя́ться (izmenjátʹsja)to be or become modified
- модифици́роваться (modificírovatʹsja)to be or become modified
Spanish modificar, modificar
- modificarto change part of
- modificar(grammar) to qualify another word or phrase
Swahili -sahihisha
- -sahihishato change part of
Swedish modifiera
- modifierato change part of
Tagalog magpasadya, ipasadya
- magpasadyato change part of
- ipasadyato change part of
- magsaayosto change part of
- isaayosto change part of
- magpabagoto change part of
- ipabagoto change part of
- magmodipikato change part of
- modipikahinto change part of
Turkish modifiye etmek, değiştirmek
- modifiye etmekto change part of
- değiştirmekto change part of
- değişmekto be or become modified
Ukrainian модифікува́ти
- модифікува́ти (modyfikuváty)to change part of
Vietnamese chỉnh, điều chỉnh
- chỉnhto change part of
- điều chỉnhto change part of
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
modify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modify
“modify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “modify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/modify.
Source: modify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.