as in corrective
serving to raise or adjust something to some standard or proper condition
took reformative measures to curb abuses in the state's system of justice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reformative
As part of the reformative aims of the convict system, many of these men were incarcerated at Fremantle Prison, trained, and put to work on infrastructure projects such as bridges, roads, and public buildings.
—
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Fifty-five years after Martin Luther King's death, African Americans continue to proudly honor his reformative legacy in Phoenix.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Jan. 2024
While the idea of hiring actors might raise some eyebrows, acting and artistry can be an important step in the reformative process, and Hemsworth suggested that the actors’ real-life experiences helped shape their on-screen characters.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2023
The task won’t be easy: in recent weeks, the Petro government has been plagued by a series of defections and personnel scandals that have blocked the reformative push and exacerbated divisions in the government coalition.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 24 July 2023
Behind the scenes, though, the bill text began not as a reformative measure, but as a company-friendly statute that would help industry avoid some regulations.
—Neil Bedi, ProPublica, 14 Dec. 2022
The redemptive and reformative power of stories runs through the film, the opening shot of which contains a spare movie set, dominated by scaffolding and a camera track on the floor.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2022
Moores positioned himself as the pro-police candidate compared to Stansbury's more reformative stance, reflecting national concerns about policing in the wake of killings of people of color by police and nationwide protests in favor of Black lives.
—Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 3 June 2021
The idea, while well-intentioned, appears to be more performative than reformative.
—Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2018
Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Fifty-five years after Martin Luther King's death, African Americans continue to proudly honor his reformative legacy in Phoenix.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Jan. 2024
While the idea of hiring actors might raise some eyebrows, acting and artistry can be an important step in the reformative process, and Hemsworth suggested that the actors’ real-life experiences helped shape their on-screen characters.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2023
The task won’t be easy: in recent weeks, the Petro government has been plagued by a series of defections and personnel scandals that have blocked the reformative push and exacerbated divisions in the government coalition.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 24 July 2023
Behind the scenes, though, the bill text began not as a reformative measure, but as a company-friendly statute that would help industry avoid some regulations.
—Neil Bedi, ProPublica, 14 Dec. 2022
The redemptive and reformative power of stories runs through the film, the opening shot of which contains a spare movie set, dominated by scaffolding and a camera track on the floor.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2022
Moores positioned himself as the pro-police candidate compared to Stansbury's more reformative stance, reflecting national concerns about policing in the wake of killings of people of color by police and nationwide protests in favor of Black lives.
—Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 3 June 2021
The idea, while well-intentioned, appears to be more performative than reformative.
—Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reformative
Adjective
-
The fine is certainly a drop in the bucket for the entertainment giant, but the corrective measure is certainly a win for data privacy.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In such a scenario, reminiscent of the ‘70s, if the Fed loosens policy prematurely, inflation could spike, leading to the painful corrective measures seen under Powell’s predecessor Paul Volcker, who hiked rates aggressively and weathered severe, double-dip recessions.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In the film about two teens in a reformatory school, the camera becomes the point-of-view of a couple of characters, while other characters look directly into the lens.—
Randee Dawn,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Dec. 2024
-
While Spanish Catholicism and reformatory Protestantism favored black clothing, much of the Renaissance happened in an explosion of color.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 June 2024
Adjective
-
Much of the discrepancy here is likely tied more to sleep than to something inherently beneficial about getting up at the crack of dawn.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
4 Sep. 2025
-
That’s what enables The Foundation Drops to be so beneficial to the skin.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Reformative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reformative. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share