Meaning & use
adaptation
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The process of changing to fit new conditions, needs, or uses.
Grammar: Uncountable for the general process; countable for a particular change: an adaptation to heat.
Patterns
- adaptation to change
- make an adaptation
- successful adaptation
Adaptation to night shifts takes time.
The school made an adaptation for students with hearing loss.
Their quick adaptation saved the project.
nouncountable
A film, play, book, or other work made by changing a story into a new form.
Grammar: Countable; plural adaptations. Usually from a source: an adaptation of a novel.
Patterns
- film adaptation
- adaptation of a novel
- stage adaptation
The film is an adaptation of a prize-winning novel.
Critics compared the stage adaptation with the book.
Her adaptation moves the story to a coastal town.
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
In biology, a feature or behavior that helps an organism survive in its environment.
Grammar: Can be countable for one feature: a useful adaptation; uncountable for the evolutionary process.
Patterns
- evolutionary adaptation
- adaptation to climate
- survival adaptation
Thick fur is an adaptation to extreme cold.
The adaptation developed over many generations.
Camouflage is a common adaptation in prey species.
Word forms
| plural | adaptations |
|---|
Common combinations
- adaptation to change
- Adaptation to change became a core job skill.
- film adaptation
- The film adaptation stayed close to the novel.
- evolutionary adaptation
- Long beaks are an evolutionary adaptation to deep flowers.
- make adaptations
- The venue made adaptations for wheelchair users.
Synonyms and how they differ
- adjustment
- Everyday change to fit conditions; adaptation can be broader or biological.
- modification
- A specific change, often to an object; adaptation can be a long process.
- version
- For media only, one form of a work; adaptation stresses transformation from another source.
Word family
Commonly confused: adaptation or adoption? adaptation or adaption?
adaptation vs adoption
Adoption is legally taking a child or choosing an option; adaptation is adjustment or reshaping.
adaptation vs adaption
Adaption is a recognized but less common spelling; most formal writing prefers adaptation.
Practice
A movie made from a novel is called ___.
Choose one answer.
A film adaptation reshapes a story from one medium into another. The other nouns are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “adaptation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.