sea change
noun
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In The Tempest, William Shakespeare’s final play, sea change refers to a change brought about by the sea: the sprite Ariel, who aims to make Ferdinand believe that his father the king has perished in a shipwreck, sings within earshot of the prince, “Full fathom five thy father lies...; / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / into something rich and strange.” This is the original, now-archaic meaning of sea change. Today the term is used for a distinctive change or transformation. Long after sea change gained this figurative meaning, however, writers continued to allude to Shakespeare’s literal one; Charles Dickens, Henry David Thoreau, and P.G. Wodehouse all used the term as an object of the verb suffer, but now a sea change is just as likely to be undergone or experienced.
Examples of sea change in a Sentence
semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The duo launch the show amid a sea change in sports TV.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Sea Change Clearly, there’s been a sea change since the Great Recession (October 2007 through March 2009).
—John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Now, unfortunately, starts the seasonally worst month of the year, made heavier by the gains in so many stocks that need to be locked in, and the sea change that comes from no hikes to fast hikes.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sea change
Cite this Entry
“Sea change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20change. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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