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life-altering

American

[lahyf-awl-ter-ing] / ˈlaɪfˌɔl tər ɪŋ /

adjective

resulting in a major and usually negative or challenging change in one's life (typically used of an injury, diagnosis, or the like.). Compare life-changing.

Other Word Forms

life-alteringly

adverb

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

life-altering

"Badly designed electricals can have life-altering - even fatal - consequences," said head of consumer protection Sue Davies.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

But the life-altering event comes not in the form of fulfilling her life’s dream, but as an unexpected cancer diagnosis, handed to her just as she’s scheduled to wrap production on her short.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

Noa-Rose, who is now seven, is among the one in five survivors left with life-altering conditions, including epilepsy, fatigue and developmental delay.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

In New Mexico, a bump in oil revenues is life-altering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

How was I supposed to have a life-altering talk with August with all this going on?

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023