what is a modifier
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Related to modifier: dangling modifier, misplaced modifier. Modifiers are, quite simply, any word or group of words that modifies (describes or elaborates upon) another element in a sentence. Modifiers can either be adjectives, which modify nouns (or sometimes pronouns), or adverbs, which modify pretty much everything else (usually verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs). Whether a modifier is an adjective or adverb depends on what it modifies and how it functions in a sentence.