metamorphosis

noun meta·mor·pho·sis \ ˌme-tə-ˈmȯr-fə-səs \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of metamorphosis

plural metamorphoses play \-ˌsēz\

1 a : change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means

the metamorphosis of humans into animals

b : a striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances

The company has gone through a series of metamorphoses.

2 : a typically marked and more or less abrupt developmental change in the form or structure of an animal (such as a butterfly or a frog) occurring subsequent to birth or hatching

the metamorphosis of caterpillars into butterflies

See metamorphosis defined for English-language learners

See metamorphosis defined for kids

Examples of metamorphosis in a Sentence

We have watched her metamorphosis from a shy schoolgirl into a self-confident businesswoman.
a company that has gone through a series of metamorphoses
The government has undergone political metamorphosis since his election.
the metamorphosis of tadpoles into frogs
The class learned about how caterpillars undergo metamorphosis to become butterflies.

Recent Examples of metamorphosis from the Web

Feces Chamber Most people know some version of the caterpillar-to-butterfly metamorphosis story.

— jason bittel, National Geographic, "Watch a Sausage-Size Insect Transform From Larva to Beetle," 11 May 2018
The sight made her think about the process of metamorphosis.

— aaron carnes, sacbee, "Finding inspiration in 'the growing pains' | The Sacramento Bee," 10 May 2018
Think of it as an ensemble approach to personhood: Simien is showing how the self comes in and out of being, and why this metamorphosis is not always the same.

— jason parham, WIRED, "Dear White People, The Rachel Divide, and the Hard Questions of Identity," 4 May 2018
To travel westward across the U.S. is to experience a striking landscape metamorphosis.

— shannon hall, Scientific American, "A Nation Divided: Arid/Humid Climate Boundary in U.S. Creeps Eastward," 27 Apr. 2018
Fat Monica’s metamorphosis is a little like that, but in reverse: The transformation depletes her dignity rather than compounding it.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "When Beauty Is a Troll," 22 Apr. 2018
Rock 'n' roll isn't dead, but there's a metamorphosis happening.

— patrick ryan, USA TODAY, "Jared Leto on new Thirty Seconds to Mars album, retiring from acting and the state of rock," 4 Apr. 2018
Instead of parachuting in to solve a particular problem, consultants now need to be able to effect a corporate metamorphosis for a whole new environment, one constantly being remade by digital technology.

— belinda luscombe, Time, "How Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert Rose to the Top," 22 Mar. 2018
Houston Methodist Hospital-San Jacinto campus in Baytown will provide heart, breast health, weight metamorphosis, and cancer prevention assistance and recommendations.

— david taylor, Houston Chronicle, "Dayton chamber to sponsor health fair Friday," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metamorphosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Many ancient myths end in a metamorphosis. As Apollo is chasing the nymph Daphne, she calls on her river-god father for help and he turns her into a laurel tree to save her. Out of anger and jealousy, the goddess Athena turns the marvelous weaver Arachne into a spider that will spin only beautiful webs. But natural substances may also metamorphose, or undergo metamorphosis. Heat and pressure over thousands of years may eventually turn tiny organisms into petroleum, and coal into diamonds. And the most beloved of natural metamorphoses (notice how this plural is formed) is probably the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies.

Origin and Etymology of metamorphosis

Latin, from Greek metamorphōsis, from metamorphoun to transform, from meta- + morphē form

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

metamorphosis Synonyms

Synonyms

changeover, conversion, transfiguration, transformation;

Related Words

shift, transition;

adjustment, alteration, modification;

reconstruction, reconversion, redo, redoing, refashioning, reformation, remaking, remodeling, revamping, revision, reworking, variation;

deformation, disfigurement, distortion, mutation, transmutation;

displacement, replacement, substitution, supplantation;

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

METAMORPHOSIS Defined for English Language Learners

metamorphosis

noun

Definition of metamorphosis for English Language Learners

: a major change in the appearance or character of someone or something
biology : a major change in the form or structure of some animals or insects that happens as the animal or insect becomes an adult

METAMORPHOSIS Defined for Kids

metamorphosis

noun meta·mor·pho·sis \ ˌme-tə-ˈmȯr-fə-səs \

Definition of metamorphosis for Students

plural metamorphoses \-fə-ˌsēz\

1 : a great change in appearance or character

2 : the process of great and usually rather sudden change in the form and habits of some animals during transformation from an immature stage (as a caterpillar) to an adult stage (as a butterfly)

Medical Dictionary

metamorphosis

noun meta·mor·pho·sis \ ˌmet-ə-ˈmȯr-fə-səs \

medical Definition of metamorphosis

plural metamorphoses play \-ˌsēz\

1 : change of physical form, structure, or substance

2 : a marked and more or less abrupt developmental change in the form or structure of an animal (as a butterfly or a frog) occurring subsequent to birth or hatching