transformation

noun

trans·for·ma·tion | \ ˌtran(t)s-fər-ˈmā-shən

, -fȯr- \

Essential Meaning of transformation

: a complete or major change in someone's or something's appearance, form, etc. His appearance has undergone a complete transformation. [=his appearance has changed completely] The building underwent various transformations over the years. See More Examplesthe character's inner transformation an agent of transformationHide

Full Definition of transformation

1 : an act, process, or instance of transforming or being transformed

2 : false hair worn especially by a woman to replace or supplement natural hair

3a(1) : the operation of changing (as by rotation or mapping) one configuration or expression into another in accordance with a mathematical rule especially : a change of variables or coordinates in which a function of new variables or coordinates is substituted for each original variable or coordinate

(2) : the formula that effects a transformation

b : function sense 5a

c : an operation that converts (as by insertion, deletion, or permutation) one grammatical string (such as a sentence) into another also : a formal statement of such an operation

4 : genetic modification of a bacterium by incorporation of free DNA from another bacterial cell also : genetic modification of a cell by the uptake and incorporation of exogenous DNA

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About transformation

Examples of transformation in a Sentence

The building underwent various transformations over the years. a raven-haired starlet who underwent an attention-getting transformation and showed up at the awards ceremony as a blonde

Recent Examples on the Web The type of wild transformation Sjón loves to write about — all these creatures unpredictably changing states — also applies to his own work. — New York Times, 13 Jan. 2022 The past two years of remote work reveal that for chief information officers, architects of enterprisewide technology transformation, few tools are as important as a decent computer and phone. — Cio Journal, WSJ, 7 Jan. 2022 What does a chief transformation officer do, exactly? — Fortune, 4 Jan. 2022 Often, in digital transformation projects, the next concern after validation is scalability. — Tooba Durraze, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2022 With yards of garland, hundreds of lights and thousands of dollars in decorations, Alvarez's house transformation was underway. — Janet Shamlian, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2021 One other transformation diners will notice when visiting Addison this winter is a change in its menu. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Dec. 2021 Along with Toyota, the Korean company sees fuel-cell technology as key to the world’s clean-energy transformation. — Heejin Kim, Bloomberg.com, 30 Nov. 2021 Hidden in plain sight, the palace is now at the heart of a grand urban transformation project that will celebrate cultural heritage while also greening the city to help fight climate change. — Washington Post, 26 Nov. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transformation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About transformation

Dictionary Entries Near transformation

transformance

transformation

transformational

Statistics for transformation

Last Updated

17 Jan 2022

Cite this Entry

“Transformation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transformation. Accessed 24 Jan. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA