transmute
verb
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Transmutation changes something over into something else. Thus, a writer may transmute his life into stories or novels, and an arranger might transmute a lively march tune into a quiet lullaby. In the "Myth of Er" at the end of Plato's Republic, for example, human souls are transmuted into the body and existence of their choice. Having learned from their last life what they do not want to be, many choose transmutation into something that seems better. A meek man chooses to be transmuted into a tyrant, a farmer into a dashing (but short-lived) warrior, and so on. But very few seem to have learned anything from their former life that would make their choice a real improvement.
Examples of transmute in a Sentence
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Onyx is believed to absorb and transmute negativity; hence, it is widely used as a protective stone.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Beyond lies further alchemy, as film is transmuted into digital form.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Nuclear reactors, where heavy elements were transmuted into lighter ones, released antineutrinos that could be absorbed by atomic nuclei outside of the reactor, leading to their discovery.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for transmute
Cite this Entry
“Transmute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transmute. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
transmute
verb
Legal Definition
transmute
transitive verb
In re Siddens, 588 N.E.2d 321 (1992)
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