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 William Shakespeare's The Tempest, a sea change is a change brought about by the sea, as illustrated by the words of the sprite Ariel to Ferdinand, said to make the prince believe that his father has perished in a shipwreck: "Full fathom five thy father lies...; / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / into something rich and strange." This meaning of sea change is the original one, but it's now archaic. Long after sea change had gained its figurative meaning—that of any marked or permanent transformation—writers nonetheless 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 Over the past few years, however, there’s been a noticeable sea change—and on the red carpet, menswear has, well, loosened up. Liam Hess, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024 The cumulative result has been Trump unleashed, and a sea change in Republican foreign policy. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024 Perhaps a sea change for two levels of American football. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024 There is one glaring fact underlying this sea change. Michelle Bruton, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, Katagiri is recruited by a new task force that takes a more confrontational tack toward gangster activity, signaling a sea change in law enforcement’s approach. Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Feb. 2024 Numerous members have stopped short of promising residents a sea change should the legislation pass, believing it should not be seen as a substitute for a comprehensive violence reduction plan. Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2024 Despite the complicated path forward, Goodman hopes the guidelines will be a sea change for diagnosing and treating adults with ADHD. Angela Roberts, Hartford Courant, 13 Jan. 2024 This era is definitely a sea change for offices, said Al Brooks, JP Morgan Chase’s head of commercial real estate. Alena Botros, Fortune, 30 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sea change.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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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Dictionary Entries Near sea change

Cite this Entry

“Sea change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20change. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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