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
Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Negari is one of a handful of high-net worth individuals and family offices that have recently entered the downtown office market amid a sea change in ownership.
—Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
This is occurring amid a sea change in mathematics research.
—Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 16 Mar. 2026
The mere fact that Parayko and Thomas were in the discussion signals a massive sea change in the way NHL GMs are thinking about acquiring talent.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
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 31 Mar. 2026.
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