transformation

The word “transformation” means a dramatic change in form, appearance, or character. In plain terms, a big, often positive, change in how something or someone looks or acts.

“Transformation” is pronounced trans-fuh-MAY-shuhn (/ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “transformation” used in a sentence: “The city underwent a remarkable transformation over ten years.”

“Transformation” is a noun.

The word “transformation” comes from Latin. From Middle French, ultimately from Ecclesiastical Latin "transformatio"; built from "transform" plus "-ation.".

“Transformation” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Change is a broad word for anything becoming different, even in a small or gradual way. Transformation specifically means a dramatic change in form, appearance, or character, suggesting the result is strikingly different from the starting point. A transformation is a change, but change is the wider, more neutral term.

A transition is the process of moving from one state or stage to another, emphasising the passage between them. A transformation emphasises the dramatic difference in the end result, a marked change in form, appearance, or character. Something can go through a transition without ending up dramatically transformed.

Transformation often appears with adjectives like complete, dramatic, radical, and total, as in "a complete transformation." It also pairs with the verbs undergo and bring about, and with nouns in phrases such as digital transformation and personal transformation.

Transformation is a fairly formal noun common in business, science, and writing about personal or organisational change. In casual conversation people often say makeover, overhaul, or simply big change to describe the same idea.