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

Investors sometimes assume that identifying a transformative technology is the same as identifying an exceptional investment opportunity. — Alex Shahidi, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

But the companies that lead in this transformative moment won’t be the ones with the most sophisticated technology alone. — Dave Bozeman, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2026

But fresh off the most transformative season of the All-Pro linebacker’s career, the focus on him has never been greater. — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Hanlen compared Clark’s effect on women’s basketball to the transformative impact Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods had on their sports. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for transformative

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