alter

alter 的核心意思是“使某物变得不同”或“自己变得不同”；它还可指一个人的另一个身份，以及一个表示宗教祭坛的拼写错误。

💡 记忆钩子

把 alter 想成“把东西推向另一种样子”：你可以改变物体的形状、让自己发生变化，甚至把衣服改到合身；在心理学中，一个人的“另一个自我”也可叫 alter。另一个名词用法只是 altar（祭坛）的误拼，和“改变”这条主线无关。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“改变某物”和“发生变化”这两个动词用法，再学习改衣服、受酒精或药物影响等具体用法。
不要把 alter 和 altar 混淆：前者通常和“改变”有关，后者才是宗教场所中的“祭坛”；名词 alter 表示“另一个身份”时只在特定心理学语境中使用。

📖 中文释义

noun

rare 另一个身份；另一个人格状态

📖 指同一个人内部被区分出来的另一个身份、自我或人格状态，可以把它理解为“另一个自我”，但这是特定心理学语境中的术语。

alters plural

noun

rare altar 的误拼

📖 在表示宗教仪式用的“祭坛”时，正确拼写是 altar；alter 不能在这个意义上正常使用。

alt-of misspelling

verb

core 改变；改动

📖 把某物的形状、结构、安排或状态改成另一种样子，重点是“使它不同”，不一定意味着彻底重做。

💡 常用结构是 “alter + 事物” 或 “alter + 事物 + to suit/fit...”。这个词适合谈计划、设计、衣物、建筑或设备等较具体的改动，语气通常比日常口语中的“改一改”更正式。不要把它只理解为“替换”，因为改变后的对象仍可能保留原来的主要部分。

ambitransitive

We had to alter the design to make room for the new equipment.

我们不得不修改设计，为新设备腾出空间。

A few small changes can alter the way the room feels.

几个小改动就能改变这个房间给人的感觉。
core 发生变化

📖 主语本身变得不同，而不是主动把另一个东西改掉；可以说外貌、情况、声音或观点逐渐发生变化。

💡 常用结构是 “主语 + alter” 或 “become altered”，后面不要直接接被改变的对象。这个用法常见于较正式的说明、叙述和书面语中；日常对话里也可以用“变化”一类的更普通表达。若要明确说明是谁造成变化，改用及物结构或另加原因短语。

intransitive

The landscape began to alter as the road climbed higher.

随着道路不断升高，景色开始发生变化。

Her priorities altered after she became a parent.

她成为父母后，生活重点发生了变化。
common 改衣使合身

📖 特指把衣服的长度、宽度或轮廓改一改，使它更合身；这是“改变某物”的具体应用。

💡 常用结构是 “alter + 衣服” 或 “have + 衣服 + altered”。这个意思通常出现在裁缝店、服装购买和正式服装语境中，不能泛指设计或风格上的任何修改。说衣服由裁缝来改时，使用使役结构会比直接说人自己改更自然。

transitive

The tailor can alter the jacket to fit you better.

裁缝可以把这件夹克改得更合身。
rare 给动物绝育

📖 在兽医或动物照护语境中，指给狗等动物做去势或绝育手术，也是“改变其身体状态”的特殊用法。

transitive
common 使精神状态受到影响

📖 指酒精、药物或疾病使人的精神状态、意识或行为发生改变；这里的重点不是普通的心情变化，而是受到明显的生理或心理影响。

💡 常用结构是 “be/get altered by + 酒精、药物等”，也可说某物 “alter + a person’s state”。这个用法多见于非正式谈话、新闻或描述药物影响的语境，具体含义要结合上下文判断。不要把它自动理解成“被改造”，在涉及饮酒或用药时通常是指精神状态改变。

transitive

He seemed altered after taking the medication, so we called the doctor.

他吃了药后精神状态不太对，所以我们给医生打了电话。

alters present,singular,third-person altering participle,present altered participle,past altered past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 5 组

remove the ovaries of

同义词集: alter neuter spay castrate

Is your cat spayed?

上位: desex, desexualise, desexualize, fix, sterilise, sterilize, unsex

become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence;

同义词集: change alter vary

her mood changes in accordance with the weather

The supermarket's selection of vegetables varies according to the season

下位: accommodate, adapt, alternate, branch out, break, broaden, crackle, diversify, honeycomb, jump, let out, modulate, move, narrow, narrow down, radiate, specialise, specialize, widen

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation;

同义词集: change alter modify

The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city

The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue

下位: accelerate, activate, add, adjust, adorn, aerate, affect, age, aggravate, alienate, amalgamate, ameliorate, amend, animate, animise, animize, antiquate, antique, arouse, ash, assimilate, automate, automatise, automatize, awaken, barb, bear on, bear upon, beautify, bedim, beef up, begrime, bemire, bestow, better, blear, blind, blister, blot out, blunt, blur, boil, break, break down, break up, brighten, bring, bubble, camp, capture, centralise, centralize, change over, charge, chasten, check, chill, chord, clarify, clean, clear, clot, cloud, coagulate, collimate, colly, color, color in, colorise, colorize, colour, colour in, colourise, colourize, commercialise, commercialize, commix, commute, compensate, complicate, concentrate, condense, confuse, contaminate, contract, contribute, convert, cook, cool, cool down, correct, corrupt, counterchange, crack, crush, cry, customise, customize, cut, damage, darken, de-emphasise, de-emphasize, deactivate, deaden, debase, debauch, decorate, decrease, delay, demoralise, demoralize, deprave, depress, destabilise, destabilize, destress, develop, dirty, disable, disaffect, disarray, disenable, disintegrate, dismiss, disorder, disqualify, dissolve, disturb, diversify, dizzy, domesticate, domesticise, domesticize, dope, draw, drop, dry, dry out, dull, edit, edit out, elaborate, elevate, embellish, empty, enable, end, energise, energize, envenom, equal, equalise, equalize, equate, estrange, evaporate, even, even out, exacerbate, exasperate, exchange, excite, expand, extend, fasten, fat, fatten, fatten out, fatten up, fill, fill out, fill up, fix, flatten, flesh out, form, fortify, freeze, freshen, full, gear up, get, glorify, grace, grime, harmonise, harmonize, heat, heat up, hide, hue, humble, impact, impart, improve, inactivate, incapacitate, increase, indispose, inflate, inform, insulate, intensify, interchange, introvert, invalidate, invert, lace, land, legitimate, lend, lessen, lift, lighten, lighten up, loose, loosen, lower, make, make clean, make full, make grow, mark, market, match, mature, meliorate, merge, mince, mingle, minify, misdirect, mix, moderate, morph, muddy, neutralise, neutralize, nick, normalise, normalize, obliterate, obnubilate, obscure, ornament, overcloud, overturn, pall, parallel, patent, perplex, pervert, piggyback, plump, plump out, poison, port, prepare, profane, proof, purge, purify, put, raise, rarify, rationalise, rationalize, ready, reclaim, recommend, reconstruct, rectify, redact, redo, redress, reestablish, refine, reform, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, reinstate, relax, remodel, renormalise, renormalize, replace, restore, retard, reverse, revolutionise, revolutionize, right, ripen, round, round down, round off, round out, rouse, sanctify, sauce, scramble, set, set aside, set up, shade, shake, shallow, shape, sharpen, shift, shoal, shorten, simplify, smut, sober, socialise, socialize, soften, soil, speed, speed up, spice, spice up, spike, spiritualize, stabilise, stabilize, stain, still, straighten, straighten out, strengthen, string, subdue, substitute, subvert, supple, suspend, sweeten, switch, tame, temper, tender, tenderise, tenderize, tense, terminate, think, tighten, tone down, touch, touch on, transfigure, transform, translate, transmute, transpose, transubstantiate, turn, turn back, unclutter, undo, unfit, unify, unite, untie, validate, vaporise, veil, visualise, visualize, vitiate, void, wake, wake up, waken, warm, weaken, wet, widen, worsen

insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby

同义词集: interpolate alter falsify

上位: edit, redact

make an alteration to

同义词集: alter

This dress needs to be altered

上位: change, modify

🌳 词源

动词来自拉丁语中表示“另一个”的词，后来形成“使变成别的样子”的意思。心理学名词可能来自“另一个自我”这一概念；表示“祭坛”的名词则只是 altar 的误拼。

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.

🔄 变式

altered past altering present alters plural

🏷 单词标签 & 词根