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
  • Nowadays, the concept has mutated into something more like a full RV kitchen without the RV (or outside the RV), sometimes packed into a box burly enough to survive an active war zone.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
  • But sometimes, a single one of these letters will mutate, swapping an A for a G, for instance.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Moving and deforming ice produces substantial underwater noise.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • On a map, Newfoundland is a vast, asymmetrical island, cloven by bays and inlets, semi-detached to appendages of land deformed by ancient glaciers scraping over it, leaving glacial striations, grooves and gouges on its granite face.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Symptoms of the disease include severe itching and disfiguring skin conditions, as well as visual impairment and even permanent blindness after lesions develop on one’s eyes.
    — Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In July, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Eui Seok Kang, who was severely disfigured when the airbag of his Chevrolet Malibu detonated after a crash.
    — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But Orange County planning staff concluded Rybolt Lamar wasn’t allowed to redefine her property boundaries and recommended that county commissioners deny the application.
    — Nico Rivero, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Redefine Roles Around Value Creation As intelligent systems take on more routine processing and coordination, organizations need to redefine roles around value creation rather than task completion.
    — Jason Marx, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But this perception completely distorts what most Palestinians believe and are prepared to accept.
    — Michael Robbins, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The absurdist look at greed and climate change, reality and the distorting power of media, feckless world leaders and rapacious billionaires, struggled to get off the ground.
    — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • When the efforts to dismantle the agency failed, Vought and his allies instead refashioned it into an industry-friendly regulator.
    — Joel Jacobs, ProPublica, 23 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Bain’s message is that incumbents with proprietary data, customer relationships and a willingness to redesign workflows could be well positioned to capture value.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Redesign Your Team’s Capacity When a team is understaffed, leaders should redesign capacity before asking people to work harder.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Those projections were revised down (and revised down again) after a deluge of bad buzz.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Insights like ours are revising researchers’ understanding of both the past and how people operate today, as inequality grows globally.
    — Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Transmogrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transmogrify. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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