Meanings
present singular third person transmogrifies · participle present transmogrifying · participle past transmogrified · past transmogrified
- humorousoftentransitiveTo substantially or completely alter the form of.
Our present Governors (who have transmografide Monarchy into a Free State) ...
1652, n.a. [Isabel Yeamans], The Year of Wonders, London: George Horton, page 102 more examples
Separateness in selfist thought is transmogrified into a perverted freedom (or set of freedoms), themselves devoid of attendant responsibilities.
2018, Michael J. DeValve, Tammy S. Garland, Elizabeth Q. Wright, A Unified Theory of Justice and Crime, page 7For the better, if you ask the seven unlucky sods who originally died, and are now explosively alive. For the worse, if you ask the billions of ordinary people now in daily danger of being atomized, brainwashed, or transmogrified into gooey flesh-sculptures.
2023 September 14, HarryBlank, “The Breach Goes On: Wrong Tomorrow Hub”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 06 Oct 2024Synonyms: transform, transmute, convert, develop, draw, evolve, metamorphize, metamorphose
- humorousintransitiveoftenTo completely alter one's form.
"Just set the dial to "Calvin", and I'll transmogrify back to a boy."
1987 April 2, Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes (comic)1 more example
But 'Hamilton,' directed by Thomas Kail and starring Mr. Miranda, might just be about worth it—at least to anyone who wants proof that the American musical is not only surviving but also evolving in ways that should allow it to thrive and transmogrify in years to come.
2015 August 5, “Review: `Hamilton,' Young Rebels Changing History and Theater”, in The New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo substantially or completely alter the form of.
More synonyms by meaning
verbchange completely the nature or appearance of
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
17th century; origin uncertain, but possibly from transmigure, transmigrate. It is also possible that this word is a formation derived from maugre, hence it originally signified the "evil eye", but under the influence of the former etymologies shifted its meaning to its sense of "transformation". Another possibility is a humorous blending of transfigure and modify.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech proměnit
- proměnitcompletely alter the form of
German transformieren, gänzlich ummodeln
- transformierencompletely alter the form of
- gänzlich ummodelncompletely alter the form of
Māori whakatupu
- whakatupucompletely alter the form of
Portuguese metamorfosear
- metamorfosearcompletely alter the form of
Cite this entry
transmogrify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transmogrify
“transmogrify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transmogrify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “transmogrify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transmogrify.
Source: transmogrify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.