Adjusted

How to spell adjusted

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce adjusted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does adjusted mean?

1. verbAltered or moved something slightly to achieve a better fit, position, or result.
2. adjectiveModified by a calculation or correction, such as for inflation, deductions, or seasonal factors.

Adjusted in a sentence

• verb

  The mechanic adjusted the brakes before the long drive north.

• adjective

  The loan was calculated against her adjusted gross income for the year.

• verb

  She adjusted the thermostat so the office felt cooler in the afternoon.

• adjective

  The report compared adjusted wages with the raw numbers from a decade ago.

Where does adjusted come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the past form of the verb 'adjust', which came into English in the 1600s from the Old French ajuster, meaning 'to bring together' or 'to make conform'. That French verb traced back to the Latin iuxta, meaning 'near' or 'beside', though its spelling and sense were later reshaped under the influence of Latin justus, meaning 'right' or 'fair', which is the root of 'just' and 'justice'. The early English meaning leaned on the idea of arranging or settling things rightly, as in adjusting a dispute, before the modern mechanical sense of altering something slightly to fit took over. The 'd' in 'adjusted' attaches cleanly because the base 'adjust' ends in a 't' sound, so the suffix is simply pronounced as a separate syllable. The shared 'just' root is a useful memory anchor: think of bringing something into a 'just', or correct, position.

How the word is built

• ad- (to, towards)
• just (from Latin justus: right, fair)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)