change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another.
changed the shirt for a larger size
alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.
slightly altered the original design
vary stresses a breaking away from sameness, duplication, or exact repetition.
vary your daily routine
modify suggests a difference that limits, restricts, or adapts to a new purpose.
modified the building for use by the disabled
Example Sentences
Alcohol can alter a person's mood. He altered his will to leave everything to his sister. This one small event altered the course of history. The place has altered in the 10 years since I left. I'll need to have the dress altered before the wedding.
Recent Examples on the WebThe potential for heavy rain Sunday could dramatically alter the game’s dynamic and put Soldier Field’s new Bermuda grass to the test. Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 High amounts of biotin can also alter thyroid function test as well as cardiac marker screen test for heart attacks. Kaitlyn Pirie, Good Housekeeping, 7 Sep. 2022 Instead, the spray patterns alter how the available water pressure is used. Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2022 Certain health issues, like some illnesses and allergies, can therefore alter the amount, consistency, or color of those secretions. Amy Marturana Winderl, SELF, 6 Sep. 2022 But housing development continues to eradicate habitat and climate change may alter spring rains needed to turn seeds into plants. Kevin Spear, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022 OceanGate didn’t alter the wreckage in any way, but other private companies have or plan to in the future. Michelle Harris, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Sep. 2022 In the end, the team presented a few possibilities to NASA of what shape a Mars sample facility could take: The agency could alter an existing BSL-4 lab to be more pristine.The Salt Lake Tribune, 5 Sep. 2022 But minor variations in weather data can make extreme weather more frequent and alter how inhabitable the state is, especially if Michigan's infrastructure is not prepared to handle the changing climate. Arjun Thakkar, Freep.com, 2 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English alteren "to change, transform," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French alterer, borrowed from Late Latin alterāre, verbal derivative of Latin alter "second, another, next," derivative, with the suffix of opposition -ter-, from the base of alius "other" — more at else entry 1