life-changing

adjective

life-chang·​ing ˈlīf-ˌchān-jiŋ 

: having or capable of having a significant impact on someone's life

a life-changing career opportunity

a life-changing injury

… in 1986 he took a year off to travel. The experience was life-changing and led to his 1991 decision to pursue writing full-time.

—Carolyn Hart

(humorous) Made with fresh carrots, pineapple, a blend of warm spices and a homemade brown butter cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake recipe is life-changing …

—Jocelyn Delk Adams

Examples of life-changing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No family should have to watch their child suffer while a life-changing therapy sits trapped in regulatory red tape. —Elise Esposito, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026

In Nepal, where menstruation stigma still leads some women and girls to be banished to mud huts during their periods, reusable cups have been life-changing. —Tanya Benedicto Klich, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

When the charity started, Facing the World would fly children to London from all over the world to get life-changing surgeries. —Ellise Shafer, Variety, 28 May 2026

That decision was life-changing. —Marcella Baietto, CBS News, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1747, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for life-changing

• interchanging
• rearranging
• arranging
• exchanging
• unchanging
• changing
• ranging