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.
It’s time to respond with resolve by restoring the capacity of a reformed United Nations to act, so that it no longer remains a mere spectator to events that affect us all.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
The group disbanded following their headline set at the Phoenix Festival in 1994 but reformed in 2000 to play five sold-out nights at London's Forum Theatre.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
It is natural and logical that we would wish for the latter types of regime to be heavily reformed or outright replaced — especially with the local populace leading the way.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Both packages include provisions broadly meant to ease housing costs through reformed regulation, though the ways both bills tackle those issues vary, according to an analysis External link by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026
He’d reformed the Paris police, introducing professional standards to a scattershot operation.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
