sea change
Americannoun
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a striking change, as in appearance, often for the better.
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any major transformation or alteration.
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a transformation brought about by the sea.
noun
Etymology
Origin of sea change
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
For Matthew Frank, author of The Ankler's Crowd Pleaser newsletter, the YouTube-to-big screen pipeline "feels like a sea change".
From BBC • May 29, 2026
Nonetheless, some U.S. veterans are finding hope in the widespread opposition to the war, which marks a sea change from previous wars.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
“This is a sea change and people should wake up and realize we’re living in a new world.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
“This is definitely a sea change from previous transitions,” said Derek Tang, co-founder of LH Meyer/Monetary Policy Analytics, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
The child’s name was minimalism, and its arrival heralded a sea change in the relationship between musical genres.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
