transformative

American  

[trans-fawr-muh-tiv] / trænsˈfɔr mə tɪv /

adjective

1. causing a radical and typically positive change in outlook, character, form, or condition: Voting is a culturally and socially transformative action.

   It's difficult to put into words how transformative and enriching it is to study abroad.

   Voting is a culturally and socially transformative action.

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Other Word Forms

• untransformative
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of transformative

First recorded in 1660–70; from Medieval Latin transformātīvus, equivalent to Latin transformāt-, stem of transformāre, + -īvus -ive ( def. ); see transform ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transformative

The desire for these transformative products was never innate, and LACMA’s exhibition zeroes in on that idea from the start.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Researchers are using extraordinarily detailed computer simulations to reconstruct one of the most transformative periods in cosmic history: the era when the first stars and galaxies began to emerge.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

The lesson from electrification isn’t to fear transformative technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

For Claire, however, she says the experience was transformative.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

In two transformative decades between 1920 and 1940, the first two of these questions—i.e., variation and evolution—would be solved by unique alliances between geneticists, anatomists, cell biologists, statisticians, and mathematicians.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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Related Words

• life-changing
• transformational

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