reformed
adjective
amended by removal of faults, abuses, etc.
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reformed
American
[ri-fawrmd]
/ rɪˈfɔrmd /
adjective
-
amended by removal of faults, abuses, etc.
-
improved in conduct, morals, etc.
-
(initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to Protestant churches, especially Calvinist as distinguished from Lutheran.
Reformed
British
/ rɪˈfɔːmd /
adjective
-
of or designating a Protestant Church, esp the Calvinist as distinct from the Lutheran
-
of or designating Reform Judaism
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of reformed
Explanation
Someone who's reformed is changed in a positive way. A reformed bully has stopped shoving smaller kids around and makes a point of treating everyone kindly. A reformed prison system would be one that has eliminated controversial punishments like solitary confinement, and a reformed group of military rebels might form a peaceful political party. Sometimes you'll see this adjective in a religious context — for example, Calvinism is known as "Reformed Christianity," a reference to the Protestant Reformation. The Latin root, reformare, means "change."
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.
The council declined to take up Raman’s motion and instead sent it to committee, but later the council created another panel to study the tax and whether it needs to be reformed.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
The first significant launch from the company's reformed Meta Superintelligence Labs group emerged last month with the AI model Muse Spark.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
In the title piece, a reformed bandit is regaled—and possibly lured back to a life of adventuring—by the confessions of a confidence woman.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
Steyer, who has a net worth of $2.4 billion according to Forbes, has painted himself as a reformed billionaire who walked away from Farallon because of angst about how he earned his fortune.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Was Mandela the same man who went to prison twenty-seven years before, or was this a different Mandela, a reformed Mandela?
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
