What does "alter" mean?
One of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
Alter
/ˈɒl.tə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
- Grammar: alter is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: modify, amend, change, vary.
- Useful contrasts: stable plan, static views, unchanged size.
- Usage evidence: It is not clear whether Lander intended to alter Emmet's style from the beginning.
How to use "alter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "alter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "alter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "alter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "alter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "alter" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "modify" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "alter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One of the personalities, identities, or selves in a person with dissociative identity disorder or another form of multiplicity.
"While the second goal would be best met if each alter were coconscious, the defendant should be satisfied if at least one competent alter is present to hear what transpires."
- 2 Misspelling of altar. alt-of, misspelling
"As an alter boy he remembered that walking between the alter and the gates was prohibited for everyone except the priest."
Verb
- 1 To change the form or structure of. ambitransitive
"Near-synonym: tweak"
- 2 remove the ovaries of wordnet
- 3 To become different. intransitive
"[…] Passing the song of the hermit bird and the tallying song of my soul, / Victorious song, death’s outlet song, yet varying ever-altering song, […]"
- 4 become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence wordnet
- 5 To tailor clothes to make them fit. transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 cause to change; make different; cause a transformation wordnet
- 7 To castrate, neuter or spay (a dog or other animal). transitive
- 8 insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby wordnet
- 9 To affect mentally, as by psychotropic drugs or illness. transitive
"We don't know if he was altered on alcohol or drugs or anything […]"
- 10 make an alteration to wordnet
Antonyms
stable planstatic viewsunchanged sizeclassroom replicate
Example
"It is not clear whether Lander intended to alter Emmet's style from the beginning."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "alter"?
Common synonyms include: modify, amend, change, vary, a changé, abate.
How do you use "alter" in a sentence?
It is not clear whether Lander intended to alter Emmet's style from the beginning.
How do you pronounce "alter"?
Pronounced /ˈɒl.tə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Old French alterer (French altérer), from Medieval Latin alterāre (“to make other”), from Latin alter (“the other”), from al- (seen in alius (“other”), alienus (“of another”), etc.; see alias, alien, etc.) + compar. suffix -ter.
Etymology 2
Probably from alter ego.