reform

[ ri-fawrm ]

noun

1. the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc.:

   social reform; spelling reform.

   Synonyms: amelioration, betterment, reformation, correction

   Antonyms: deterioration

2. an instance of this.
3. the amendment of conduct, belief, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to change to a better state, form, etc.; improve by alteration, substitution, abolition, etc.

   Synonyms: restore, repair, ameliorate, emend, amend, correct, rectify, better

2. to cause (a person) to abandon wrong or evil ways of life or conduct.
3. to put an end to (abuses, disorders, etc.).
4. Chemistry. to subject to the process of reforming, as in refining petroleum.

verb (used without object)

1. to abandon evil conduct or error:

   The drunkard promised to reform.

adjective

1. (initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Reform Jews or Reform Judaism:

   a Reform rabbi.

reform

/ rɪˈfɔːm /

verb

1. tr to improve (an existing institution, law, practice, etc) by alteration or correction of abuses
2. to give up or cause to give up a reprehensible habit or immoral way of life
3. chem to change the molecular structure of (a hydrocarbon) to make it suitable for use as petrol by heat, pressure, and the action of catalysts

noun

1. an improvement or change for the better, esp as a result of correction of legal or political abuses or malpractices
2. a principle, campaign, or measure aimed at achieving such change
3. improvement of morals or behaviour, esp by giving up some vice

Derived Forms

• reˈformable, adjective
• reˈformative, adjective
• reˈformer, noun

Other Words From

• re·forma·ble adjective
• re·forma·bili·ty re·forma·ble·ness noun
• re·forma·tive adjective
• re·forma·tive·ly adverb
• re·forma·tive·ness noun
• re·forming·ly adverb
• anti·re·form adjective
• misre·form verb
• prere·form adjective
• prore·form adjective
• self-re·form noun
• super·re·form noun verb (used with object)
• unre·forma·ble adjective
• unre·forma·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of reform¹

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the verb) Middle English reformen, from Middle French reformer, Old French, from Latin refōrmāre; equivalent to re- + form; noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of reform¹

C14: via Old French from Latin reformāre to form again

Example Sentences

Among the most prominent is the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, which has since become one of the nation’s largest and most influential immigration control advocacy groups.

From Salon

Kolankiewicz took a job with Roy Beck, the Tanton protégé and former Washington editor of The Social Contract, who went on to found a slightly less strident “immigration reform” organization called NumbersUSA.

From Salon

In February 2010, as Republicans gathered for the prestigious annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., the Center for Immigration Studies’ longtime executive director, Mark Krikorian, sat on a panel about immigration reform in front of a packed audience, along with Robert Rector from the Heritage Foundation and Steve King, the lightning-rod congressman from Iowa.

From Salon

Self-government, which he says would give way to a “golden era of conservative policy reform.”

From Salon

We can all imagine a leader who appeals to identity issues like religion and immigration while pursuing a program of genuine economic reform.

From Salon

Related Words

• amend
• improve
• rebuild
• rehabilitate
• remake
• renovate
• reorganize
• repair
• resolve
• restore
• revise
• revolutionize
• standardize
• transform