life-changing
Life-changing (adjective) means having such a strong effect on someone that it permanently alters how they live, think or feel. Example: “The surgery was life-changing; she walked unaided within a month.”
How to use life-changing
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSo important that it changes how you live from then on.
Neutral but heavily overused in marketing, where it is applied to products that plainly do not change anyone's life. Reserve it for genuine turning points if you want it to carry weight.
Hyphenate before a noun and, in most modern style guides, after the verb too: the trip was life-changing. It works for bad changes as well as good ones, as in a life-changing accident.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The surgery was _____; she walked unaided within a month.
Etymology
From life + changing.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for life-changing
See all rhymes for life-changing →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between life-changing and life-affirming?
Life-changing means something alters the course of your life, for better or worse. Life-affirming is always positive and means something renews your appreciation of being alive, without necessarily changing anything.
Can life-changing be negative?
Yes. Life-changing injuries, diagnoses and losses are standard collocations, particularly in legal and medical writing. The word describes the scale of the change, not whether it is welcome.
What is the meaning of life-changing?
"life-changing" (adjective) means having such a strong effect on someone that it permanently alters how they live, think or feel.
What is another word for life-changing?
Other words for "life-changing" include transformative, momentous, pivotal, seismic, game-changing.