sea change
noun
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In The Tempest, William Shakespeare’s final play, sea change refers to a change brought about by the sea: the sprite Ariel, who aims to make Ferdinand believe that his father the king has perished in a shipwreck, sings within earshot of the prince, “Full fathom five thy father lies...; / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / into something rich and strange.” This is the original, now-archaic meaning of sea change. Today the term is used for a distinctive change or transformation. Long after sea change gained this figurative meaning, however, writers continued to allude to Shakespeare’s literal one; Charles Dickens, Henry David Thoreau, and P.G. Wodehouse all used the term as an object of the verb suffer, but now a sea change is just as likely to be undergone or experienced.
Examples of sea change in a Sentence
Carley Thornell, Travel + Leisure, 11 May 2025
Despite these sea changes, Pope Francis received criticism for anti-LGBTQ remarks he’s made and for approving a document released by the Vatican in April 2024 that transition surgery and gender fluidity directly opposed human dignity, according to the Times.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Amid this sea change, many reformers began calling for the expansion of women’s roles in policing, especially on issues affecting women and children.
—Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2025
The standoff in the Oval Office put Vance at the center of a sea change in American foreign policy and signaled how the 40-year-old vice president, who served a partial U.S. Senate term before his election to the White House, has stealthily amassed political power.
—Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sea change
Cite this Entry
“Sea change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20change. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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