altered

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Different from how it was before because something has been changed in it.

   Grammar: Can come before a noun or after be: an altered plan, the plan was altered.

   Patterns

   • altered state
   • altered version
   • be altered by something

   The altered plan gave us an extra day.

   The photo looked altered around the edges.

   He was an altered man after the long illness.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounformal

   Changed deliberately, sometimes in a hidden way that makes the thing seem false or unreliable.

   Grammar: Often appears in legal or official contexts: an altered document.

   Patterns

   • altered document
   • altered record

   Police found an altered passport in his bag.

   The altered figures did not match the original accounts.

   The court rejected the altered contract.

Common combinations

altered state

Meditation can lead to an altered state of mind.

slightly altered

The recipe was slightly altered to remove nuts.

altered document

The altered document was dismissed as evidence.

permanently altered

The landscape was permanently altered by the flood.

altered appearance

His altered appearance surprised his friends.

Synonyms and how they differ

changed

Changed is the everyday word and carries no hint of tampering.

modified

Modified suggests a planned adjustment, often an improvement.

adjusted

Adjusted implies a small tweak to fit a need.

tampered with

Tampered with signals hidden, improper change, which is stronger than altered.

Opposites

Word family

alter verb

to make something different

alteration noun

a change, especially a small one

alterable adjective

able to be changed

unaltered adjective

not changed

Commonly confused: altered or altar?

Practice

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