sea change

noun

1
archaic : a change brought about by the sea
2
: a marked change : transformation
a sea change in public policy

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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

Recent Examples on the Web
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Even Schaefer’s number choice speaks to some kind of sea change. The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025 The Beekman Place downturn also reflects a neighborhood-wide sea change that’s been happening for more than a decade. Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025 For some battalions, including Prickly’s, this represents a sea change. Tamar Jacoby, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 The quick and positive response marks a sea change in the two-decade long quest to get this information from the city. Thomas Tracy, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sea change

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sea change was in 1612

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Cite this Entry

“Sea change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20change. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

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