Change vs. Alter

synonyms

'Change' and 'alter' are synonyms but they differ in terms of scope of their action and in terms of grammatical usage. follow the lesson to find out more.

What is the difference between 'change' and 'alter'?

'Change' and 'alter' are similar in that they both involve modifying something or making it different. However, 'alter' can refer to a modification in character, without necessarily turning to something else. This lesson will explore the scope of changes implied by each verb and the difference in their grammatical structure.

Scope of Modification

Both 'change' and 'alter' mean 'to make something become different'. However, 'change' has a more general meaning and can be used in a variety of contexts while 'alter' often refers to a small but significant change, or a change in a particular characteristic of someone or something without changing its nature or identity. In other words, while 'change' refers to a process of becoming something essentially different, 'alter' refers to a process of modification of the structure or composition of an entity.

The teacher asked the students to change their seating arrangements.

He realized he needed to change his attitude towards studying.

We need to alter our plans due to the unexpected weather conditions.

Here, 'alter' implies that there is no need to make completely new plans, rather, some modifications are made to the plans.

He altered his presentation based on the feedback he received.

Transitivity

In the meaning discussed above, both 'change' and 'alter' are transitive verbs. However, 'change' can also be used as an intransitive verb, where it means 'to become different'. In this sense, it implies that the changes are result of internal processes rather than an external factor. 'Alter' is always transitive and cannot be used in this way.

The weather suddenly changed, and it started to rain heavily.

You cannot say 'the weather suddenly ~~altered~~'