metamorphosis

American  

[met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis] / ˌmɛt əˈmɔr fə sɪs /

noun

• metamorphoses
  plural

1. Biology. a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism, as from the caterpillar to the pupa and from the pupa to the adult butterfly.

   Antonyms:

   stasis

2. a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or witchcraft.

   Synonyms:

   transmutation, mutation

   Antonyms:

   stasis

3. any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.

4. a form resulting from any such change.

5. Pathology.

   1. a type of alteration or degeneration in which tissues are changed.

      fatty metamorphosis of the liver.

   2. the resultant form.

6. Botany. the structural or functional modification of a plant organ or structure during its development.

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metamorphosis British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs /

noun

1. a complete change of physical form or substance

2. a complete change of character, appearance, etc

3. a person or thing that has undergone metamorphosis

4. zoology the rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in certain animals, for example the stage between tadpole and frog or between chrysalis and butterfly

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metamorphosis Scientific  

/ mĕt′ə-môr′fə-sĭs /

1. Dramatic change in the form and often the habits of an animal during its development after birth or hatching. The transformation of a maggot into an adult fly and of a tadpole into an adult frog are examples of metamorphosis. The young of such animals are called larvae.

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metamorphosis Cultural  

1. A change in an animal as it grows, particularly a radical change, such as the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmetamorphosis
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• metamorphoses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of metamorphosis

First recorded in 1525–35; from New Latin metamorphōsis, from Greek metamórphōsis “transformation”; equivalent to meta- + -morph + -osis

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Explanation

In Kafka's novel entitled Metamorphosis, a man wakes up to find he has turned into a cockroach. That kind of complete and startling change pretty much sums up the word. When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it goes through a metamorphosis. An idea can undergo metamorphosis, or metamorphosize, too as can feelings. After you spend a full summer with your grandmother, your feelings about the woman may undergo a complete metamorphosis. While you were once afraid of the old woman, you now love her dearly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metamorphosis metamorphoses

The magic of metamorphosis in butterflies underscores our capacity for change, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

That's not what we would expect to see in amphibians, whose metamorphosis from tadpoles into adults includes much more dramatic rearranging and development of organs and limbs.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Alex, a design engineer from Mexico, says her brother's metamorphosis shows how even the most unlikely people can be tempted into making manosphere content, once they realise the money and fame to be made.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

One cites her newfound sobriety as evidence that people can change — a nod to Steyer’s self-proclaimed metamorphosis from hedge fund titan to scourge of big corporations.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

That’s when the letters came, and Henry reading them all, without jealousy, with that complete abnegant transference, metamorphosis into the body which was to become his sister’s lover.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

"Just like butterflies, corals also undergo different metamorphoses and stages."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025

For these eight women I spoke to over the course of the last five months, pregnancy and childbirth prompted astounding metamorphoses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

With the Los Angeles artists they discussed other frontiers — migrations, mystical metamorphoses, the limits of the human condition.

From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2022

There are some metamorphoses you simply do not sign up to look in on.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2022

Fortunately, today’s scientists, historians, and art collectors have rediscovered and acknowledged her work for what it is: amazingly beautiful, accurate portrayals of insect metamorphoses and ecosystems.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

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Related Words

• evolution
• rebirth

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