amalgamate vs alter

amalgamate is an adjective but alter is not an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
amalgamate	No	Yes	Yes	No
alter	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, alter is a hypernym of amalgamate; that is, alter is a word with a broader meaning than amalgamate:

Other hypernyms of amalgamate include change, modify.

amalgamate (adjective)	alter (adjective)
joined together into a whole

amalgamate (verb)	alter (verb)
to bring or combine together or with something else	remove the ovaries of
	become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence
	cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
	insert words into texts, often falsifying it thereby
	make an alteration to