To transform an appearance or character, especially in a striking, elevated or ennobling way.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- transfigure a scene
- transfigure an appearance
On the page
The evening light transfigured the plain wall into the scene’s most vivid feature.
The remembered kindness transfigured his account of an otherwise difficult visit.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- transfigure
- Past tense
- transfigured
- Past participle
- transfigured
- Present participle
- transfiguring
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- transfigure
- Present continuous
- am/is/are transfiguring
- Present perfect
- have/has transfigured
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been transfiguring
- Past
- transfigured
- Past continuous
- was/were transfiguring
- Past perfect
- had transfigured
- Past perfect continuous
- had been transfiguring
- Future
- will transfigure
- Future continuous
- will be transfiguring
- Future perfect
- will have transfigured
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been transfiguring
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: transfigure; transfigures; transfigured; transfigured; transfiguring Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: narrative transformation, conception and possibility, memory representation, anticipatory detail. Disciplines: literary writing, advanced general English, narrative analysis. Commonness: uncommon. Third-person singular: transfigures.
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