JISUPOSTEnglish
ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Alternation

/ˈɒl.tə(ɹ)ˌneɪ.ʃən/ · noun

Meaning

The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence.

Definitions by Sense

  1. The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence
  2. (religion) The response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister.
  3. (phonology) Ablaut.
  4. (linguistics) A pattern by which more than one construct is possible, as with "Alice cooked Bob dinner" and "Alice cooked dinner for Bob".
  5. (logic) The "inclusive or" truth function.
  6. (mathematics) A sequence that alternates between positive and negative values.
  7. (mathematics, proscribed) A permutation.
  8. (computing) A construct in a regular expression that can match any of several specified subexpressions.

Example Sentences

the alternation of day and night
alternation of summer and winter
alternation between night shifts and day shifts
alternation of feelings between hope and fear
There are Anthems to be found amongst them , where every syllable has its just length ; each part of a sentence its proper pause : where the words are not confused by perplexing alternations, or rendered tedious by unnecessary repetitions
dative alternation; locative alternation
1932, Harold Scott Macdonald Coxeter, The densities of the regular polytopes, part 2, reprinted in 1995, F. Arthur Sherk, Peter Mcmullen, Anthony C. Thompson, Asia Ivić Weiss (editors), Kaleidoscopes: Selected Writings of H. S. M. Coxeter, page 54, This case suggests that the alternation of a polyhedron should be bounded by actual vertex figures and alternated faces. The case of the cube is in agreement with this notion, since the alternated square is nothing.

Synonyms for alternation

Antonyms for alternation

Related Words

alterationchangechangeovermixreplacementsubstitutionsubstitutesurrogateexchangecirculationrotationtradingturnovertogglesandwichinterchangevariationfluctuationoscillationsuccession

Word Forms

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Add this word and synonyms to Word SearchSynonyms and antonymsBetter words by context

Frequently Asked Questions

What does alternation mean?

Alternation means The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence.

What is a synonym for alternation?

The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.

What is the opposite of alternation?

The opposite depends on the specific sense.

How do you use alternation in a sentence?

the alternation of day and night

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.