reformed
Americanadjective
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amended by removal of faults, abuses, etc.
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improved in conduct, morals, etc.
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(initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to Protestant churches, especially Calvinist as distinguished from Lutheran.
adjective
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of or designating a Protestant Church, esp the Calvinist as distinct from the Lutheran
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of or designating Reform Judaism
Other Word Forms
- pseudoreformed adjective
- quasi-reformed adjective
- reformedly adverb
- unreformed adjective
Etymology
Origin of reformed
Explanation
Someone who's reformed is changed in a positive way. A reformed bully has stopped shoving smaller kids around and makes a point of treating everyone kindly. A reformed prison system would be one that has eliminated controversial punishments like solitary confinement, and a reformed group of military rebels might form a peaceful political party. Sometimes you'll see this adjective in a religious context — for example, Calvinism is known as "Reformed Christianity," a reference to the Protestant Reformation. The Latin root, reformare, means "change."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Steyer, who has a net worth of $2.4 billion according to Forbes, has painted himself as a reformed billionaire who walked away from Farallon because of angst about how he earned his fortune.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
"But behind their words lies an entire legal framework that needs to be reformed," Saladrigas said.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
Mr. James’s tone—that of a reformed alpha male, an ex-con and traveler of a gritty road—lends his tale authenticity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU, said the reformed SFI scheme appeared "to strike the right balance between simplifying the process and maintaining flexibility".
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
Was Mandela the same man who went to prison twenty-seven years before, or was this a different Mandela, a reformed Mandela?
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
