Standard Lemma guide

transformative

adj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /trɑːnsˈfɔːmətɪv/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /tɹæns-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /tɹænsˈfɔɹmətɪv/
  • General-American: [-ɾɪv]
  • Mid-Atlantic, US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AE2 N S F AO1 R M AA0 T IH2 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

That causes a transformation; causing a notable and lasting change

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: transformatory, transmutative

Antonyms: nontransformative

2

adj

Meaning 2

Chiefly in transformative-generative: of or relating to a theory of generative grammar in which defined operations called transformations produce new sentences from existing ones; transformational.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Medieval Latin transformātīvus (“transformative”), from Latin trānsfōrmātus (“transformed”) + -īvus (suffix attached to the perfect passive participial stems of verbs, forming deverbal adjectives meaning ‘doing or related to doing [the verb]’). Trānsfōrmātus is the perfect passive participle of trānsfōrmō (“to transform”), from trāns- (prefix meaning ‘across; beyond; through’) + fōrmō (“to fashion, form, format, shape”) (from fōrma (“appearance, figure, form, shape”); further etymology unknown, perhaps related to Ancient Greek μορφή (morphḗ, “a form, shape”)). The English word is analysable as transform + -ative.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: transformatiu — that causes transformation
  • Estonian: transformeeriv — that causes transformation
  • Finnish: käänteentekevä — that causes transformation
  • French: transformateur — that causes transformation
  • German: transformativ — that causes transformation
  • Greek: μεταμορφωτικός (metamorfotikós) — that causes transformation
  • Italian: trasformativo — that causes transformation
  • Latin: trānsfōrmātīvus — that causes transformation
  • Macedonian: трансформативен (transformativen) — that causes transformation
  • Middle English: vertuous — that causes transformation
  • Polish: transformacyjny — that causes transformation
  • Spanish: transformativo — that causes transformation
  • Russian: преврати́тельный (prevratítelʹnyj) — of or relating to a theory of generative grammar in which defined operations called transformations produce new sentences from existing ones — see also transformational