ˌmɑdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən restricting the scope or freedom of action strictly limiting the reference of a modified word or phrase the restrictive clause in ‘Each made a list of the books that had influenced him’ limits the books on the list to only those particular ones defined by the clause the grammatical relation that exists when a word qualifies the meaning of the phrase