Synonyms of metamorphose

metamorphose

verb

ˌme-tə-ˈmȯr-ˌfōz 

as in to transform

to change in form, appearance, or use

a science fiction story in which radiation metamorphoses people into giant bugs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• transform
• convert
• transmute
• transfigure
• remodel
• rework
• transpose
• transubstantiate
• replace
• alter
• alchemize
• adjust
• modify
• recast
• redesign
• mutate
• revise
• make over
• redefine
• deform
• refashion
• reengineer
• disfigure
• supplant
• distort
• transmogrify
• regenerate
• redo
• remake
• vary
• revamp
• substitute
• displace

Synonym Chooser

How is the word metamorphose different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of metamorphose are convert, transfigure, transform, transmogrify, and transmute. While all these words mean "to change a thing into a different thing," metamorphose suggests an abrupt or startling change induced by or as if by magic or a supernatural power.

awkward girls metamorphosed into graceful ballerinas

When can convert be used instead of metamorphose?

While the synonyms convert and metamorphose are close in meaning, convert implies a change fitting something for a new or different use or function.

converted the study into a nursery

When might transfigure be a better fit than metamorphose?

While in some cases nearly identical to metamorphose, transfigure implies a change that exalts or glorifies.

joy transfigured her face

When is transform a more appropriate choice than metamorphose?

Although the words transform and metamorphose have much in common, transform implies a major change in form, nature, or function.

transformed a small company into a corporate giant

When is it sensible to use transmogrify instead of metamorphose?

The words transmogrify and metamorphose can be used in similar contexts, but transmogrify suggests a strange or preposterous metamorphosis.

a story in which a frog is transmogrified into a prince

When would transmute be a good substitute for metamorphose?

The synonyms transmute and metamorphose are sometimes interchangeable, but transmute implies transforming into a higher element or thing.

attempted to transmute lead into gold

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of metamorphose

The show that began as a bottom-up look at the cutthroat world of finance has metamorphosed into something more dismal. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026

My 2026 wish for New Yorkers is for Zohran Mamdani to metamorphose into another Mike Bloomberg rather than an embarrassment like Eric Adams. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026

The Tale of Genji ’s early chapters are rooted in fairy-tale monogatari, but the book soon metamorphoses into its own strange thing, a courtly romance that follows Prince Genji over his half century of life, and then, after Genji’s death, takes up the lives of the next generation. —Lauren Groff, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2025

The pressure and heat of deep burial and tectonic events over eons have transformed the silt into a hard metamorphic rock, and the microbial carbon in it has metamorphosed into graphite. —Howard Lee, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2025