reformation

noun

ref·​or·​ma·​tion ˌre-fər-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the act of reforming : the state of being reformed

2

capitalized : a 16th century religious movement marked ultimately by rejection or modification of some Roman Catholic doctrine and practice and establishment of the Protestant churches

reformational

ˌre-fər-ˈmā-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

adjective

Examples of reformation in a Sentence

the reformation of our justice system

Recent Examples on the Web

He’s just gone through such a reformation, through his journey with Christ and everything [the NFL brings] too. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025

Still, the billionaire, who has become highly involved in U.S. and global politics, has also supported the overhaul and reformation of the H-1B system in the past. —Dylan Butts,victoria Yeo, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2025

And as far as music is concerned, reformation doesn’t really come into it so much. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025

The process observed involved stages of turbulence generation, rope merging, equilibrium collapse, and reformation. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reformation

• self-reformation

Rhymes for reformation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

reformation

noun

ref·​or·​ma·​tion ˌref-ər-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the act of reforming : the state of being reformed

2

capitalized : a 16th century series of religious actions which led to establishment of the Protestant churches

reformational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective

Legal Definition

reformation

noun

ref·​or·​ma·​tion ˌre-fər-ˈmā-shən 

: the act or an instance of reforming

specifically : the equitable remedy of reforming a writing (as a deed or contract) and enforcing it as reformed

Note: Reformation is allowed primarily to correct mistakes such as typographical errors or incorrectly chosen words. Occasionally reformation is permitted in cases of fraud or misrepresentation. Clear and convincing evidence of the mistake and of the intended agreement is usually required; sometimes parol evidence is sufficient to establish the agreement. This remedy is not applicable to wills.