transmogrify

Definition of transmogrifynext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word transmogrify different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of transmogrify are convert, metamorphose, transfigure, transform, and transmute. While all these words mean "to change a thing into a different thing," transmogrify suggests a strange or preposterous metamorphosis.

a story in which a frog is transmogrified into a prince

When is convert a more appropriate choice than transmogrify?

While the synonyms convert and transmogrify are close in meaning, convert implies a change fitting something for a new or different use or function.

converted the study into a nursery

When is it sensible to use metamorphose instead of transmogrify?

The meanings of metamorphose and transmogrify largely overlap; however, metamorphose suggests an abrupt or startling change induced by or as if by magic or a supernatural power.

awkward girls metamorphosed into graceful ballerinas

In what contexts can transfigure take the place of transmogrify?

The synonyms transfigure and transmogrify are sometimes interchangeable, but transfigure implies a change that exalts or glorifies.

joy transfigured her face

When can transform be used instead of transmogrify?

While in some cases nearly identical to transmogrify, transform implies a major change in form, nature, or function.

transformed a small company into a corporate giant

When might transmute be a better fit than transmogrify?

In some situations, the words transmute and transmogrify are roughly equivalent. However, transmute implies transforming into a higher element or thing.

attempted to transmute lead into gold

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 transmogrify Or change its identity or transmogrify into a different social function of a space. Erik Morse, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2023 For those looking to dig deeper, here are the best books that deconstruct, analyze, and even transmogrify the star known as Marilyn Monroe. Nathan Smith, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2022 For most basketball fans, that joy will transmogrify into disappointment, sadness or even fleeting anger once their favorite team is eliminated. Paul Eisenberg, chicagotribune.com, 21 Mar. 2021 In the 1980s and 1990s this transmogrified into an attack on science. Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 1 July 2020 See All Example Sentences for transmogrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transmogrify
Verb
  • But sometimes, a single one of these letters will mutate, swapping an A for a G, for instance.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Stars Gianna Jun as Professor Se-jeong, who is thrust into a bloody nightmare when a rapidly mutating virus is released during a biotech conference, causing authorities to seal the facility.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The pilot can then adjust speed and make turns by pulling steering brake lines to deform the trailing edge or shifting weight in the harness.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Taylor cone was a sign that the electric field between a drop and metal had gotten strong enough to deform water.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • First, the proposals to sell off the major competitions had to be withdrawn and secondly, assurances have to be made that such attempts to disfigure the game in this way will never be made again.
    Rafael Nam, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Leprosy, which can be traced back at least 4,000 years, can be highly visible and disfiguring, with the primary symptoms including changes to the skin and nervous system that can take upward of 20 years to develop after exposure.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • Their acclaimed 2025 debut, LOS CHICOS DEL NORTE, and recent hits redefine the genre.
    Jem Aswad, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Ultimately, Ultra Veil is his attempt to redefine a new luxury for himself and, potentially, for an audience fatigued by surface-level luxury, and propose a different kind of brand-consumer relationship.
    Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Posters are editing and manipulating the recordings to distort their content.
    Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The same narrative needs a soundbite for a podcast host, a clip for LinkedIn, a quote that a niche newsletter can run verbatim and language that an AI summary won’t distort.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The comparison also fits because of the modern tech bros’ constant attempts (following Steve Jobs’s lead) to refashion themselves as magicians.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Steps from the hotel is a barn that the Schneiders refashioned into Allmeinde Commongrounds, a cultural center and arts residency that has hosted photographers such as Walter Niedermayr and Axel Hütte.
    Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Boeing would have to find out what tooling still exists, rebuild jigs and dies, locate or replace hundreds of suppliers, requalify manufacturing processes, recruit specialist workers, and possibly redesign components that are no longer available.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The agency might even take the opportunity to completely redesign the disastrous Ashland, Armitage and Elston Avenue intersection and save generations of Chicagoans the headache of spending 15 minutes navigating through a single stoplight.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Election officials contend there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives.
    Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Election officials contend that there isn’t enough time to revise their systems to comply with the new Postal Service directives.
    Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Transmogrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transmogrify. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster