sea change
noun
Did you know?
In William Shakespeare's The Tempest, a sea change is a change brought about by the sea, as illustrated by the words of the sprite Ariel to Ferdinand, said to make the prince believe that his father has perished in a shipwreck: "Full fathom five thy father lies...; / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change / into something rich and strange." This meaning of sea change is the original one, but it's now archaic. Long after sea change had gained its figurative meaning—that of any marked or permanent transformation—writers nonetheless continued to allude to Shakespeare's literal one; Charles Dickens, Henry David Thoreau, and P.G. Wodehouse all used the term as an object of the verb suffer, but now a sea change is just as likely to be undergone or experienced.
Examples of sea change in a Sentence
Jonathan Kandell, New York Times, 10 May 2024
To the energy industry, AI represents an uncertain sea change: an innovation that could either pave the way for a cleaner, greener grid or kneecap decades of environmental progress.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Community advocates have pointed to the directive as a sea change in the Pentagon's approach.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 2 May 2024
The drugs are undergoing a sea change in public sentiment; Aaron Rodgers has a trip story, and so does Michael Bublé.
—Jane C. Hu, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024
On the silicon side of things, expect a sea change soon, though.
—John Burek, PCMAG, 26 Mar. 2024
His reelection would be a sea change in domestic and foreign policy—a lasting turn away from alliance-building and the belief that the United States is Europe’s natural ally and security guarantor.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2024
His departure will coincide with that of the L.A. Phil’s Gustavo Dudamel — marking a sea change for classical music in the city.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024
The legislation is one of the world’s toughest pieces of legislation targeting the market clout of tech firms and could mark a sea change in how Europe does regulation.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sea change.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sea change
Cite this Entry
“Sea change.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sea%20change. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share