Florence B. LennonR. S. Hillyer
Did you know?
We know that the prefix trans-, meaning “across” or “beyond,” appears in many words that evoke change, such as transform and transpire, but mogrify is a bit of a mystery. Regardless of the word’s origins, writers have found transmogrify useful for centuries. English dramatist Aphra Behn’s 1671 comic play The Amorous Prince features an early example of the word, and about a century later, Scottish poet Robert Burns used it in his poem “Address to the Unco Guid, or the Rigidly Righteous.” And in the late 20th century, cartoonist Bill Watterson’s comic strip series Calvin and Hobbes featured an invention called a “transmogrifier” (the first iteration was a cardboard box; later a water pistol was a “transmogrifier gun”) that had various transmogrification functions.
Examples of transmogrify in a Sentence
Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Ne Zha’s mother is transmogrified into a magical pill at the hands of the story’s villainous mastermind, the immortal Wuliang.
—Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 5 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
Cite this Entry
“Transmogrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transmogrify. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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