transmogrify

Definition of transmogrifynext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word transmogrify different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of transmogrify are convert, metamorphose, transfigure, transform, and transmute. While all these words mean "to change a thing into a different thing," transmogrify suggests a strange or preposterous metamorphosis.

a story in which a frog is transmogrified into a prince

When is convert a more appropriate choice than transmogrify?

While the synonyms convert and transmogrify are close in meaning, convert implies a change fitting something for a new or different use or function.

converted the study into a nursery

When is it sensible to use metamorphose instead of transmogrify?

The meanings of metamorphose and transmogrify largely overlap; however, metamorphose suggests an abrupt or startling change induced by or as if by magic or a supernatural power.

awkward girls metamorphosed into graceful ballerinas

In what contexts can transfigure take the place of transmogrify?

The synonyms transfigure and transmogrify are sometimes interchangeable, but transfigure implies a change that exalts or glorifies.

joy transfigured her face

When can transform be used instead of transmogrify?

While in some cases nearly identical to transmogrify, transform implies a major change in form, nature, or function.

transformed a small company into a corporate giant

When might transmute be a better fit than transmogrify?

In some situations, the words transmute and transmogrify are roughly equivalent. However, transmute implies transforming into a higher element or thing.

attempted to transmute lead into gold

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of transmogrify During the negotiations between Obama and Raúl, there was still the idea that somehow parts of the revolution—its socialist project—could be saved, and that Cuba could somehow transmogrify into a fairer, more modern place with a social cradle. Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 Unlike conventional corn syrup, a form of glucose derived from starch that has been around for over 200 years, high fructose corn syrup wasn’t developed until after World War II, when scientists in Japan began tinkering with the grain, hoping to transmogrify this staple into new products. Stephen Mihm, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025 In that freedom, hip-hop music transmogrified from songs to studies. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 12 Apr. 2023 After 40 years of getting worked over, Mercury would be transmogrified, or almost magically altered, and totally kaput. Adam Hadhazy, Popular Mechanics, 7 Mar. 2023 Or change its identity or transmogrify into a different social function of a space. Erik Morse, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2023 For those looking to dig deeper, here are the best books that deconstruct, analyze, and even transmogrify the star known as Marilyn Monroe. Nathan Smith, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2022 For most basketball fans, that joy will transmogrify into disappointment, sadness or even fleeting anger once their favorite team is eliminated. Paul Eisenberg, chicagotribune.com, 21 Mar. 2021 In the 1980s and 1990s this transmogrified into an attack on science. Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 1 July 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transmogrify
Verb
  • Instead, this campy and melodramatic action flick from 1993 mutated into an immersive research experience for me that was firmly anchored in the global pop culture of the time.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
  • As music mutated in subsequent decades giving rise to the proliferation of independent music, specific publications cropped up to cover it with the online magazine Pitchfork becoming a leader.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Back in Egypt, however, a freak plane crash uncovers a mysterious tomb that authorities open to find Katie: deformed, malnourished and ghostly-pale, but still miraculously alive.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Kinks are critical in determining where a material deforms, appearing in situations such as metals bending permanently or DNA strands separating.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Clayface, who starts as struggling actor Matt Hagen, receives a highly experimental medical procedure after his face is disfigured in a knife attack.
    Giana Levy, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is severely disfigured after sustaining leg and face injuries during initial airstrikes on Tehran in February, Reuters reported earlier this week.
    Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Walks have exploded under new ABS system With the introduction of challenges, MLB had to essentially redefine the strike zone to ensure that the tracking system would consistently and accurately measure what actually is a strike or ball.
    Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • With a commitment to accuracy, accountability and innovation, the AJC is building on its legacy to redefine what a local news brand can be.
    Hugo Rojo, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The synthesis process consists of mixing bismuth ferrite with barium titanate to carefully engineer a strain, then growing the mixture as a thin film on a substrate that distorts its crystal structure.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026
  • But in doing that, that distorts the economics for all patients everywhere.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The project is one more makeover refashioning the nation’s capital to Trump’s liking, following others such as the demolition of the White House's East Wing to make room for a new ballroom.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Others were quick to point out that jewels from the royal collection are regularly refashioned and worn by multiple people, such as the Cullinan III and IV brooch that Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother) once wore as a necklace.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Students in the class this semester are redesigning the AI agent to smooth out some kinks, and Ipeirotis plans to use it in all his future classes.
    Jocelyn Gecker, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The Chevy Bolt has been completely redesigned following a massive recall of the previous generation.
    Charles Singh, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In its current form, Force of Nature features a longer chassis and revised riding position, helping Sykes better support himself under extreme loads.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Police initially reported that 10 people had been injured, but the number has since been revised, according to CNN.
    Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Transmogrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transmogrify. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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