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 During the negotiations between Obama and Raúl, there was still the idea that somehow parts of the revolution—its socialist project—could be saved, and that Cuba could somehow transmogrify into a fairer, more modern place with a social cradle. Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 Unlike conventional corn syrup, a form of glucose derived from starch that has been around for over 200 years, high fructose corn syrup wasn’t developed until after World War II, when scientists in Japan began tinkering with the grain, hoping to transmogrify this staple into new products. Stephen Mihm, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025 In that freedom, hip-hop music transmogrified from songs to studies. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 12 Apr. 2023 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transmogrify
Verb
  • The finding came from a study in which van der Weyden and other scientists across the world investigated cancer-causing genes in tumor samples of nearly 500 domestic cats -- specifically which genes were commonly mutated.
    KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 21 June 2026
  • The company has mutated into something that defies both comparison and logic.
    Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • When oil wells are shut in, the pressure underground can become imbalanced, deforming the underlying structure.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 June 2026
  • Some cells were mechanically deformed to simulate incidents such as minor parking impacts.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 June 2026
Verb
  • That surgery, which left the boy disfigured, should never have been performed on a patient of that age because the condition naturally resolves in 80% of patients, the medical board said.
    Phoebe Quinton, AJC.com, 15 June 2026
  • The flames claimed the girls as collateral, scarring both of them but disfiguring Anaia, who worked the hardest to save Ruby.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Verb
  • Companies such as Luxus, MyRacehorse, and Pacaso are at the forefront of this movement, using technology and innovative ownership structures to transform exclusive assets into investable opportunities while redefining what ownership means in the modern economy.
    Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • More than a century after the Orient Express redefined luxury rail travel, Corinthian is setting out to do the same at sea.
    Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • During our research, what first struck us was the extent to which the clichés surrounding the great figures of Antiquity have often distorted our perception of these historical characters.
    Roberto Prieto, Variety, 17 June 2026
  • This attempt to distort the facts for personal gain should be viewed with significant skepticism.
    Kim Gorsuch, Sun Sentinel, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • From there, Chiro takes them apart, refashioning them in a manner that feels authentic and stylish.
    Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 16 June 2026
  • Colossa has refashioned the mansion as an inn and brewery that attracts history buffs and curious travelers alike.
    Midwest Living, Midwest Living, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • Companies that see meaningful value are nearly three times as likely to have redesigned their workflows first.
    Rajesh Gharpure, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • The developer, Cal Coast, claims the city’s bureaucratic bottleneck delayed permits to redesign the site, leading to the collapse of a $68 million real estate deal.
    Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 23 June 2026
Verb
  • In April, the California Department of Motor Vehicles revised its regulations for autonomous vehicles and lifted a ban on autonomous trucks weighing 10,001 pounds or more.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
  • The agency also calls for updating information related to prostate cancer risk and revising warnings regarding enlarged prostate.
    Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 20 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Transmogrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transmogrify. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

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