reform
verb · noun · adjective
Simple meaning
Improve by alteration or correction of errors or defects and put into a better condition.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ruhfawrmSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɹəˈfɔɹm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Improve by alteration or correction of errors or defects and put into a better condition
“Reform the health system in this country.”
transitive
To put into a new and improved form or condition; to restore to a former good state, or bring from bad to good; to change from worse to better.
“The lazy student promised to reform.”
intransitive
To return to a good state; to amend or correct one's own character or habits.
transitiveintransitive
To form again or in a new configuration.
noun
The change of something that is defective, broken, inefficient or otherwise negative, in order to correct or improve it
A political movement/party
adjective
Of Reform Judaism, its tenets, or its adherents.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Improve by alteration or correction of errors or defects and put into a better condition
Used this way, reform is a common word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“Reform the health system in this country.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use reform
- “The family rejoiced in the drunkard's reform.”noun
- “Reform the health system in this country.”verb
- “The lazy student promised to reform.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A disputant who advocates reform.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A disputant who advocates reform.
Improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices etc.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The most liberal Jews.
Liberal Jew who tries to adapt all aspects of Judaism to modern circumstances.
Correctional institution for the detention and discipline and training of young or first offenders.
A movement intended to bring about social and humanitarian reforms.
A disputant who advocates reform.
A social reformer who advocates birth control and family planning.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.