sea change

noun

1. a striking change, as in appearance, often for the better.
2. any major transformation or alteration.
3. a transformation brought about by the sea.

sea change

noun

1. a seemingly magical change, as brought about by the action of the sea

Word History and Origins

Origin of sea change¹

First recorded in 1600–10

Word History and Origins

Origin of sea change¹

coined by Shakespeare, in Ariel's song ``Full Fathom Five'' in The Tempest (1611)

Example Sentences

Amazon also triggered a sea change in physical retail, accelerating the shuttering of shopping malls and stores.

From Washington Post

One marker of a sea change is the emergence of a new vocabulary.

From Time

“You’ve seen a sea change, from when I was first elected, when there was strong animosity to any development, to a realization that we have to be able to construct housing that San Diegans can afford,” he said.

From Voice of San Diego

Rising health-care costsAmerica’s well-chronicled, rising health-care costs have caused a quiet sea change in the tax burden of the middle class.

From Washington Post

Ever since Google made the announcement in January that Chrome would phase out the technology in two years, marketers, publishers, agencies, and data owners have been scrambling to prepare for this sea change.

From Search Engine Watch

Despite the hard work of women like Fonda, Archer said, there had been no sea-change in attitudes within the industry.

From The Daily Beast

This reticence—this reserve—suits Beck's voice and personality much better than the confessional self-consciousness of Sea Change.

From The Daily Beast

Its so-called predecessor Sea Change got great reviews back in 2002, but it never really hooked me.

From The Daily Beast

It illustrated a deep, and swelling, sea change in American fashion: things were getting wild.

From The Daily Beast

It reflects the sea change in society that is still under way.

From The Daily Beast

Does crossing the sea change or annihilate the churchmanship of the missionary, or the passenger, or the emigrant?

From Project Gutenberg

He told her how he had suffered a sea change, and now occupied the lofty position of a god.

From Project Gutenberg

The old sofa had been metamorphosed—it had suffered a sea change into something new and strange, as Holly quoted afterward.

From Project Gutenberg

Everything in it suffers a sea-change; everything is set to the music of the winds and the waves.

From Project Gutenberg

It was content rather than the form which suffered sea change in the process of transmission from the white man to the black.

From Project Gutenberg