adjustability

adjustability — verb

  • adjustabilitypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • adjustabilities3rd person singular
  • adjustabilitying-ing form
  • adjustabilitiedpast simple

1. to change something a little so that it works better or is more comfortable, cor

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to change something a little so that it works better or is more comfortable, correct, or pleasant.

Example

Nia adjusted the car mirror until she could see the road clearly behind her.

adjust + object (a physical control)

Please adjust the radio volume; the music is far too loud for the baby.

adjust + object (a setting)

Common collocations
  • adjust the volume
  • adjust the seat
  • adjust the temperature
Synonyms
  • tweak

    informal; a very small adjustment

  • alter

    broader; any change, not only an improving one

Grammar Patterns

adjust + object

Usage Note

Object is usually a physical control or setting (mirror, seat, volume, heat) that you change by a small amount. Distinguish from sense 4, where the object is a number or amount changed by calculation.

Common Mistakes

I adjusted to the volume.
I adjusted the volume.
in this sense adjust takes a direct object, no 'to'.

2. to move the parts of a machine or object into their correct places so that every

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to move the parts of a machine or object into their correct places so that everything fits or lines up the way it should.

Example

The mechanic adjusted the brakes on Yuki's bicycle so both wheels stopped together.

adjust + object (machine parts)

Vinícius adjusted the legs of the wobbly table until it stood level.

Common collocations
  • adjust the brakes
  • adjust the gears
  • adjust the legs
Synonyms
  • align

    stresses making parts straight or level with each other

  • calibrate

    technical; set a machine to a precise standard

Grammar Patterns

adjust + object

Usage Note

Object is usually the parts of a machine or instrument that must line up or fit together (brakes, gears, strings, legs). Distinguish from sense 1, where you change a single setting for comfort rather than fitting parts together.

3. to slowly change the way you live, think, or behave so that you feel comfortable

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to slowly change the way you live, think, or behave so that you feel comfortable in a new situation.

Example

It took Samir several weeks to adjust to the early mornings at his new job.

adjust to + noun (a new situation)

After moving to Canada, Theo slowly adjusted to the long, cold winters.

Common collocations
  • adjust to a new situation
  • adjust to change
  • adjust to life
Synonyms
  • adapt

    near-synonym; often a more active, deliberate change

  • settle in

    informal; become comfortable in a new place

Grammar Patterns

adjust to + noun

adjust oneself to + noun

Usage Note

Frequently intransitive with 'to' plus the new situation, or reflexive ('adjust oneself to'). Distinguish from senses 1 and 2: here you change yourself, not an object or a machine.

Common Mistakes

She adjusted with the new climate.
She adjusted to the new climate.
this sense takes the preposition 'to', not 'with'.

4. to change an amount, price, or figure in a planned way, usually following a rule

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to change an amount, price, or figure in a planned way, usually following a rule or to match new facts.

Example

The company adjusted the prices upward to cover the rising cost of fuel.

adjust + object (an amount)

Each spring the council adjusts the rent to match the official rate of inflation.

adjust + object + to match + noun

Common collocations
  • adjust the price
  • adjust for inflation
  • adjust the figures
Synonyms
  • recalculate

    stresses working the number out again

  • revise

    broader; change a plan or figure after review

Grammar Patterns

adjust + object

adjust + object + for + noun

Usage Note

Object is a number, price, or amount, and the change follows a rule or a reason ('adjust X for inflation', 'adjust X to match Y'). Distinguish from sense 1, where the object is a physical control and the goal is comfort rather than correctness of a figure.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/3

All three describe changing to fit a new situation, but they differ in who or what does the changing. 'Adjust' suggests a fairly small, gradual change in your habits or feelings until a new situation feels normal: people adjust to a new job, a new city, or early mornings. 'Adapt' is often more active and deliberate, and can describe changing a thing as well as a person: a writer adapts a novel for film, and animals adapt to a hot climate over many generations. 'Accommodate' usually means changing your own behaviour to make room for someone else's needs: a teacher accommodates students who learn at different speeds. So you adjust to cold winters, animals adapt to the desert, and a host accommodates a guest with a special diet.

adjust ↗adapt ↗accommodate ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • adjust accordingly
  • adjust over time

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Adjust came into English in the early 1600s from an old French verb meaning to bring close to or set right, which itself grew out of a Latin phrase meaning 'to bring near to'. The Latin root is also linked to the idea of being 'just' or correct, so the early sense was about setting something into its right or proper state. From that idea of putting things right came the modern meanings of fine-tuning a setting, fitting parts together, and getting used to new conditions.

First known use

1611

1611, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a