variation
the act, process, or accident of varying in condition, character, or degree: Prices are subject to variation.
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.
the transformation of a melody or theme with changes or elaborations in harmony, rhythm, and melody.
a varied 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, magnetic variation. 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.
Origin of variation
1Other words for variation
Other words from variation
- var·i·a·tion·al, var·i·a·tive [vair-ee-ey-tiv], /ˈvɛər iˌeɪ tɪv/, 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
Words Nearby variation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use variation in a sentence
Some variation of the truth will set you free, so I suggest you go on a truth offensive.
He was initially focused on temperature variations, and he viewed the pressure peaks as unwelcome noise.
Inter-subject variations are to be expected, for example due to differences in physiology, mask fit, head position, speech pattern and such.
4 reasons you shouldn’t trash your neck gaiter based on the new mask study | Jonathan Lambert | August 12, 2020 | Science NewsThis big data approach scans existing genomic databases for variations in DNA coding that could lead to differences in some outcome—for example, long versus short life.
The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life Is in the Genes of the Oldest Humans Alive | Shelly Fan | August 10, 2020 | Singularity HubSome frequencies will show up more strongly than others, and these variations highlight patterns — for instance, a strong frequency might indicate that the list contains more odd numbers than even ones.
Landmark Math Proof Clears Hurdle in Top Erdős Conjecture | Erica Klarreich | August 3, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
As I went spelunking through the research literature, I found a huge variation in definitions.
Biological variation was celebrated in the pantheon of the gods.
At one point in this show, a variation of this happened, in succession.
Butts, ‘Bang Bang’ & Beyoncé: The Craziest MTV Video Music Awards Moments | Kevin Fallon | August 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTClimate warming can be charted as a long-term rising trend with variation.
Who Will Save the Wolverine? Not the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Doug Peacock | July 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPapers and websites are filled with opinion pieces running some variation of the title “Who lost Iraq?”
Marked variation in the amount at successive examinations strongly suggests a neurosis.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThe variation of the compass in this interval is scarcely affected by the ship's local attraction.
The variation in this interval is almost too trifling to be noticed for the purposes of common navigation.
Thus it may well come about that our coast lines are swaying up and down in ceaseless variation.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerThere is never any great variation in the temperature, which is the natural consequence of the place being near the equator.
A Woman's Journey Round the World | Ida Pfeiffer
British Dictionary definitions for variation
/ (ˌvɛərɪˈeɪʃən) /
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
a repetition of a musical theme in which the rhythm, harmony, or melody is altered or embellished
(as modifier): variation form
biology
a marked deviation from the typical form or function
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
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
Derived forms of variation
- variational, adjective
- variationally, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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