transformative

adjective

trans·​for·​ma·​tive tran(t)s-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv 

: causing or able to cause an important and lasting change in someone or something

a transformative experience

And she'll tell anyone who asks about her transformative weeks working for UNICEF in Congo and Cambodia.

—S. L. Price

It is increasingly hard to escape the conclusion that American politics has entered one of those rare transformative moments that shape the content of our public discourse and the direction of our governance for generations.

—Doug Ireland

Examples of transformative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The alumni say economic impacts are transformative. —Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026

True to its founding fight over censorship and book banning, the institution remains a bastion dedicated to the transformative power of the book. —Gioia Woods, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026

Each season follows a different Richard Bean production that will reflect the stories unfolding in the lovable but flawed Bean family and the transformative power of making art. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026

In truth, there was never really much chance of this window being a transformative one for the Spanish champions, given their financial situation. —Pol Ballús, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for transformative

• germinative
• corroborative
• determinative
• forgive
• ogive
• outlive
• relive
• give
• sieve
• resistive