reformed
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
-
of or designating a Protestant Church, esp the Calvinist as distinct from the Lutheran
-
of or designating Reform Judaism
Other Word Forms
- pseudoreformed adjective
- quasi-reformed adjective
- reformedly adverb
- unreformed adjective
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.
If California’s punitive morass of regulatory and litigious constraints on dredging were reformed, new technologies could make dredging more cost-effective than ever.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 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
"But behind their words lies an entire legal framework that needs to be reformed," Saladrigas said.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
The group disbanded following their headline set at the Phoenix Festival in 1994 but reformed in 2000 to play five sold-out nights at London's Forum Theatre.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Michael Kammerer, a senior, played the reformed convict Jean Valjean, and he was among those in the cast who, at Volpe’s behest, had gone trash-picking for elements of the set.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
