n. A word, phrase, or clause that limits or qualifies the sense of another word or phrase.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. One who, or that which, modifies.
n. A word or phrase that modifies another word, phrase, or sentence, usually by limiting the scope or restricting the meaning of the sentence element modified.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. One who or that which modifies.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. a content word that qualifies the meaning of a noun or verb
n. a gene that modifies the effect produced by another gene
n. a moderator who makes less extreme or uncompromising
n. a person who changes something
Word Usage
"Unhappily, this tired modifier is supposed to signal that the book in question is somehow risky and dangerous in subject matter or treatment, but it just makes me roll my eyes and look for a barf bag."