View synonyms for variation

variation

[ vair-ee-ey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the act, process, or accident of varying in condition, character, or degree:
Prices are subject to variation.
Synonyms: difference, divergence, deviation, modification, alteration, mutation
an instance of this:
There is a variation in the quality of fabrics in this shipment.
amount, rate, extent, or degree of change:
a temperature variation of 40° in a particular climate.
a different form of something; variant.
Music.
1. the transformation of a melody or theme with changes or elaborations in harmony, rhythm, and melody.
2. a varied vary form of a melody or theme, especially one of a series of such forms developing the capacities of the subject.
Ballet. a solo dance, especially one forming a section of a pas de deux.
Astronomy. any deviation from the mean orbit of a heavenly body, especially of a planetary or satellite orbit.
Also called magnetic declination, Navigation. the angle between the geographic and the magnetic meridian at a given point, expressed in plus degrees east or minus degrees west of true north. Compare deviation ( def 4 ).
Biology. a difference or deviation in structure or character from others of the same species or group.

variation

/ ˌvɛərɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

the act, process, condition, or result of changing or varying; diversity
an instance of varying or the amount, rate, or degree of such change
something that differs from a standard or convention
music
1. a repetition of a musical theme in which the rhythm, harmony, or melody is altered or embellished
2. ( as modifier )
  variation form
biology
1. a marked deviation from the typical form or function
2. a characteristic or an organism showing this deviation
astronomy any change in or deviation from the mean motion or orbit of a planet, satellite, etc, esp a perturbation of the moon
See magnetic declination
another word for magnetic declination
ballet a solo dance
linguistics any form of morphophonemic change, such as one involved in inflection, conjugation, or vowel mutation

Discover More

Derived Forms

ˌvariˈational, adjective
ˌvariˈationally, adverb

Discover More

Other Words From

vari·ation·al var·i·a·tive [vair, -ee-ey-tiv], adjective
vari·ation·al·ly vari·ative·ly adverb
inter·vari·ation noun
nonvar·i·ation noun
over·vari·ation noun
prevar·i·ation noun
self-vari·ation noun

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of variation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin variātiōn-, stem of variātiō; equivalent to variate + -ion; replacing Middle English variacioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin, as above

Discover More

Example Sentences

As I went spelunking through the research literature, I found a huge variation in definitions.

From The Daily Beast

Biological variation was celebrated in the pantheon of the gods.

From The Daily Beast

At one point in this show, a variation of this happened, in succession.

From The Daily Beast

Climate warming can be charted as a long-term rising trend with variation.

From The Daily Beast

Papers and websites are filled with opinion pieces running some variation of the title “Who lost Iraq?”

From The Daily Beast

Marked variation in the amount at successive examinations strongly suggests a neurosis.

From Project Gutenberg

The variation of the compass in this interval is scarcely affected by the ship's local attraction.

From Project Gutenberg

The variation in this interval is almost too trifling to be noticed for the purposes of common navigation.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus it may well come about that our coast lines are swaying up and down in ceaseless variation.

From Project Gutenberg

There is never any great variation in the temperature, which is the natural consequence of the place being near the equator.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

Word of the Day

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

Meaning and examples

Start each day with the Word of the Day in your inbox!

By clicking "Sign Up", you are accepting Dictionary.com Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies.

variate varicella

Browse