transmogrify

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 In that freedom, hip-hop music transmogrified from songs to studies. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 12 Apr. 2023 In the 1980s and 1990s this transmogrified into an attack on science. Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 1 July 2020 After 40 years of getting worked over, Mercury would be transmogrified, or almost magically altered, and totally kaput. Adam Hadhazy, Popular Mechanics, 7 Mar. 2023 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 Cady seduces like a snake, charming his victims into their demise, but can as quickly transmogrify into a deranged beast striking fear into the Bowden family during a torrential storm. Lea Anderson, Men's Health, 29 Aug. 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 Christians have been borrowing from other religions since the days when the pagan feast of Saturnalia transmogrified into Christmas and the Gaelic festival of Samhain became All Saints’ Day. The Economist, 24 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transmogrify
Verb
  • The virus has mutated substantially on the mainland, on the other side of the causeway connecting the humans’ new island home.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 21 June 2025
  • What began as a promising movement to democratize market access has mutated into a profit-extraction engine dressed up in UX and buzzwords.
    Daniel Schlaepfer, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • New traction and stability programming first needed to cope with the tires deforming significantly under hard acceleration and sending sensors haywire.
    Michael Teo Van Runkle, ArsTechnica, 17 June 2025
  • And so the news that comes out of his administration is deformed as well.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • Many tomato problems, especially when a crop is disfigured, cracked, or infected by fungus, may be traced to irregular soil moisture.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 May 2025
  • Even some who survive might be left paralyzed or disfigured.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • This systemic rigidity underscores the importance of raising children who can break free from these molds, redefine success on their own terms, and contribute to a workforce that values innovation, empathy, and purpose.
    Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office attempting to redefine who should be recognized as a U.S. citizen at birth, challenging a precedent that has been settled law since 1898.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Yet the message from some insiders is that the market in continental Europe is also distorted and will not necessarily prove much cheaper.
    Chris Waugh, New York Times, 12 June 2025
  • California After images of unrest comes the political spin, distorting the reality on the ground in L.A. June 11, 2025 Levitsky said authoritarians look for crises.
    Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Verb
  • The idea of giving an award to Tom Cruise, who has recently refashioned himself as nothing less than an international ambassador for movies and Hollywood in general, and not putting it on TV is just beyond reason.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025
  • This combined with the iconic Garrard designs which have consistently proven to stand the test of time, reborn and refashioned for the muses of today, maintains our cultural relevance and enduring appeal.
    Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • Unlike other social media companies that optimize algorithms to show users content that triggers the strongest reactions, Pinterest redesigned its artificial intelligence to prioritize what users consciously choose to see again, not just what captures their attention momentarily.
    Massimo Marioni, Fortune, 26 June 2025
  • From groceries to legal advice, services are being redesigned to reach the customer—not the other way around.
    Robin Philip, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • After the Supreme Court declined to hear the victims' appeal in 2018, Congress revised the law once more to reaffirm its intent that American victims of terrorism should have access to U.S. courts.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
  • The law, which revises earlier state guidelines for autonomous vehicles, requires the operators of self-driving cars to receive prior authorization from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
    Julia Shapero, The Hill, 19 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Transmogrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transmogrify. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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