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Synonyms

alt

1 American  
[alt] / ælt /

adjective

  1. high.

noun

  1. in alt, in the first octave above the treble staff.

alt- 2 American  

  1. variant of alti- before a vowel.

    altazimuth.
alt- 3 American  

  1. a combining form of alternative, used in compound words describing a nontraditional or unconventional version within a genre or category, often something provocative, subversive, or innovative: the alt-right movement; writers of alt-lit;

    alt-country bands;

    the alt-right movement;

    alt-weeklies;

    writers of alt-lit;

    quinoa and other alt-grains.
alt. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. alteration.

  2. alternate.

  3. altitude.

  4. alto.

alt British  
/ ælt /

adjective

  1. (esp of vocal music) high in pitch

  2. of or relating to the octave commencing with the G above the top line of the treble staff

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. in the octave directly above the treble staff

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of alt1

1525–35; < Provençal < Latin altum, noun use of neuter of altus high

Origin of alt-3

First recorded in 1985–90; from the use of the prefix alt- in Usenet, to denote newsgroups with unconventional discussion topics

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Because this alt comedy makes no bones about its characters or situations being even remotely logical or realistic, anything goes — and does.

From Los Angeles Times

Malinin was among those in the crowd who gave Liu - the alt girl with her iconic halo hair and lip piercing - a standing ovation as she wrote herself into Olympic folklore.

From BBC

The action External link involving a relatively small fund targeted to retail investors run by Blue Owl is depressing the alt industry managers because of concern that redemptions could be curbed at other private-credit funds that are similar to the affected fund, Blue Owl Capital Corp.

From Barron's

Retail investors have become a prime focus on the alt industry and private credit has been one of the more popular product offerings.

From Barron's

Apollo has more of its assets in private credit these days than other big alt firms, and its shares pulled back with each bad headline.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.