reformer

noun

re·​form·​er ri-ˈfȯr-mər 

1

: one that works for or urges reform

2

Reformer : a leader of the Protestant Reformation

3

: an apparatus for cracking oils or gases to form specialized products

Examples of reformer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Long a refrain of strident progressives and good-government reformers, accusations that political rivals are self-dealing or bought by special interests have become a mainstay of Democratic primaries. —Matt Brown, Fortune, 25 May 2026

The reformers did the hard work, year after year, for decades—as like-minded people did after them—until the work bore fruit. —Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026

The reformer is like a Rube Goldberg machine for fitness. —Natalie Meade, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

Reformers were worried that putting more money into the hands of local school districts, without oversight to ensure that it was being spent effectively, would lead to its diversion into administration and more generous union contracts rather than hands-on instruction for kids who needed it most. —Dan Walters, Mercury News, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reformer

• counter-reformer

Rhymes for reformer

• conformer
• informer
• performer
• transformer
• dormer
• former
• warmer

Kids Definition

reformer

noun

re·​form·​er ri-ˈfȯr-mər 

: one that works for reform