What does adjust mean?
Adjust is a versatile English verb meaning to change or move something slightly in order to achieve a better fit, position, or outcome. It can be applied to physical objects — adjusting a chair's height, a camera's focus, or a car's mirrors — as well as to abstract matters such as plans, expectations, or accounts. The word also works intransitively or reflexively: people adjust to new climates, routines, or circumstances, gradually becoming comfortable with changed conditions. Because it implies fine-tuning rather than wholesale transformation, adjust carries a neutral, practical connotation and appears frequently in everyday, technical, business, and legal language. Its derivatives — adjustment, adjustable, adjuster — reinforce its centrality in describing modification and adaptation. Etymologically rooted in Latin, the word connects to ideas of correctness and rightness, which suits its core sense of bringing things into proper order. Whether spoken of in casual conversation or professional documentation, adjust remains one of the most useful verbs for expressing careful, deliberate change.
verbTo alter or move something slightly in order to achieve a desired fit, appearance, or result; to adapt or become accustomed to new conditions.
- To alter or move something slightly to achieve a desired result, position, or fit.
- To adapt oneself or become accustomed to new conditions or circumstances.
- To bring into proper relation or alignment; to regulate or calibrate (e.g., instruments, accounts).
"She adjusted the mirror so she could see the road more clearly."
"He adjusted his tie before walking into the interview."
"It took her several months to adjust to life in a new country."
Adjust carries the same Latin root as 'jury' — both trace back to 'jus', the Latin word for law, making 'adjust' literally about bringing things into right relation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adjust
Adjust derives from the Old French 'ajuster', which itself came from the Late Latin 'adjuxtare', formed from the Latin prefix 'ad-' (toward) and 'juxta' (near), literally meaning 'to bring near' or 'to bring into correct relation'. The word entered English in the early 17th century. It shares its root with other words derived from Latin terms relating to law and correctness, including adjudicate, judicial, prejudice, and jury, all ultimately connected to the Latin 'jus' meaning law or right.
Related word forms
How adjust is actually used
Commonly used both transitively (to adjust a setting) and reflexively/intransitively (to adjust to change). Neutral register, appropriate in both formal and everyday contexts. In accounting and legal contexts, it can carry a technical sense of correcting figures or settling claims.
Easily confused with adjust
Adopt means to take up and use or follow something (an idea, method, or child), while adjust means to change something slightly to make it suitable.
Adept is an adjective meaning highly skilled, whereas adjust is a verb meaning to alter or adapt something.