transformative

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

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

See transformative defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of transformative from the Web

The results, for player and team, have been transformative.

— the crossover staff, SI.com, "The Crossover's 2018 NBA Awards: A Rookie of the Year Battle for the Ages," 11 Apr. 2018
But the half-century has been transformative for Harris.

— Chicago Tribune, "Rage, riots, ruin," 9 Apr. 2018
Whether this is a brilliant disguise or a transformative thing is left to one’s personal interpretation.

— george diaz, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Tiger Woods comeback at Masters is something to shout about," 6 Apr. 2018
The 1990 tournament was another transformative one in the Miami Open’s history as work got underway on a new stadium at Crandon Park that would be completed in 1994.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "As Miami Open tennis tournament wraps up on Key Biscayne, readers share fond memories," 2 Apr. 2018
And that the faith is not transformative, faith is just a proxy for political tribalism.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "As they back Trump, evangelical leaders face their own sex scandals," 31 Mar. 2018
And that the faith is not transformative, faith is just a proxy for political tribalism.

— sarah pulliam bailey, Washington Post, "In an age of Trump and Stormy Daniels, evangelical leaders face sex scandals of their own," 30 Mar. 2018
Designer Elizabeth Cross-Beard of Jenkins Baer Associates in Baltimore, assures home chefs that plenty of transformative changes can be done in a week or less.

— lisa marie hart, USA TODAY, "Take a fresh approach to updating your entire house," 25 Mar. 2018
Those are hard things to do effectively, but the payoff would be transformative for individual lives and for the country.

— jerry large, The Seattle Times, "Upward mobility is especially tough for black boys in U.S. Here’s why.," 22 Mar. 2018

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.