qualifier

/ˌkwɑləˈfaɪər/

/ˈkwɒlɪfaɪə/

Other forms: qualifiers

If person is a qualifier, they've done well enough at some sport or activity to make it into an important competition. Qualifiers have made it into the big league.

When a word, rather than a person or a team, is described as a qualifier, it means that it modifies another word. Grammatical qualifiers are often adjectives. In the sentence "That is a fluffy cat," the word fluffy is a qualifier, attributing a specific quality to the word cat. The root of qualifier is the Latin qualis, "Of what sort?"

Definitions of qualifier

1. noun

   a contestant who meets certain requirements and so qualifies to take part in the next stage of competition
   “the tournament was won by a late qualifier”

   type of:

   contestant

   a person who participates in competitions
2. noun

   a content word that qualifies the meaning of a noun or verb
   synonyms: modifier

   types:

   intensifier, intensive

   a modifier that has little meaning except to intensify the meaning it modifies

   adjective

   a word that expresses an attribute of something

   adverb

   a word that modifies something other than a noun

   dangling modifier, misplaced modifier

   a word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., `when young' in `when young, circuses appeal to all of us'

   descriptive adjective, qualifying adjective

   an adjective that ascribes to its noun the value of an attribute of that noun (e.g., `a nervous person' or `a musical speaking voice')

   classifying adjective, relational adjective

   an adjective that classifies its noun (e.g., `a nervous disease' or `a musical instrument')

   positive, positive degree

   the primary form of an adjective or adverb; denotes a quality without qualification, comparison, or relation to increase or diminution

   comparative, comparative degree

   the comparative form of an adjective or adverb

   superlative, superlative degree

   the superlative form of an adjective or adverb

   dangling participle

   a participle (usually at the beginning of a sentence) apparently modifying a word other than the word intended: e.g., `flying across the country' in `flying across the country the Rockies came into view'

   adverbial

   a word or group of words function as an adverb

   type of:

   content word, open-class word

   a word to which an independent meaning can be assigned