Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary
thesaurus
view recents

transformative

adjective
Save Word
trans·​for·​ma·​tive | \ tran(t)s-ˈfȯr-mə-tiv How to pronounce transformative (audio) \

Definition of transformative

: 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 Justin Herbert is a transformative talent who needs the support of a head coach who can help him continue to grow and shine. — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, "Column: Hoping for fans in the stands and other L.A. sports wishes for 2021," 3 Jan. 2021 Neither of those transformative bills passed this year. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Commentary: In 2020, some San Diegans stood in the way of real social justice progress," 31 Dec. 2020 Biden can advance what are the most ambitious and transformative policy goals of any modern President — on the economy, on healthcare, on climate — only if the kitchen table issues are taken care of. — Matt Russell, Time, "Millions of Americans Face Food Insecurity. The Biden Administration Must Make Helping Them a Priority," 23 Dec. 2020 These issues, not publicly discussed, could be transformative for building trust and increasing vaccine acceptance. — Debra Furr-holden, The Conversation, "What’s not being said about why African Americans need to take the COVID-19 vaccine," 23 Dec. 2020 But the size and scope of the current backlogs are reminiscent of the major mail delays that occurred in July and August after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy enacted transformative policy changes at the USPS. — Paul P. Murphy, CNN, "'Perfect storm' of high package volume, employees out with COVID slowing USPS deliveries before Christmas," 23 Dec. 2020 McKinney-Lambert said that although the economic possibilities could indeed be transformative for the island nation, there’s a down side. — Chris Perkins, sun-sentinel.com, "A company has started drilling for oil just 150 miles off Florida’s coast, prompting a dire warning from members of Congress," 22 Dec. 2020 While many of the details are arcane, the infrastructure Paxos is building is potentially transformative for fields beyond cryptocurrency. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, "PayPal joins a major investment round in ‘plug-and-play’ crypto firm Paxos," 17 Dec. 2020 Every year, the organization spends $600 million for transformative health programs and quality medical aid. — Sarah Madaus, SELF, "27 Organizations to Donate to This Holiday Season," 18 Dec. 2020

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

See More

First Known Use of transformative

1668, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about transformative

Time Traveler for transformative

Time Traveler

The first known use of transformative was in 1668

See more words from the same year

Statistics for transformative

Last Updated

9 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Transformative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transformative. Accessed 17 Jan. 2021.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for transformative

transformative

adjective
How to pronounce transformative (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of transformative

formal : causing or able to cause a change especially : causing someone's life to be different or better in some important way

See the full definition for transformative in the English Language Learners Dictionary

More from Merriam-Webster on transformative

Britannica English: Translation of transformative for Arabic Speakers

Comments on transformative

What made you want to look up transformative? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

modicum

Listen to the pronunciation of modicum

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words of Snow and Ice Quiz

  • image1037863653
  • Which of the following refers to thin, bending ice, or to the act of running over such ice?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Typeshift

Anagram puzzles meet word search.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games