Transruptive

Shoddy Neologism #94: “Transruptive”

We need a word that captures the difficulty and discomfort of things making things change quickly and radically.

Transformative is too sweet and upbeat, doesn’t acknowledge the wailing and gnashing of a disjuncture. Disruptive is too negative, doesn’t capture sunny uplands/utter necessity of moving from where we are.

So, how about “Transruptive.”?*

transruptive adj involving, causing, or tending to cause movement from an unsustainable state to a different, more resilient, state
transruptively adv

Trans as in crossing over/”getting to the other side of”, ruptive as in big nasty chasm (“whatever you do, don’t look down”)

‘But wait,’ I hear you say, ‘surely English has got a word we could use already? Do we really need another shoddy neologism?’+

Well, I gave myself a good Rogetting, and checked out the synonyms for transform and disrupt and… none of them do the job (you can trust me on this, or you can check my working at at the bottom of this page

Just for sake of example though;
Regenerate might have done, but it’s now got too many connotations of knocking down perfectly good buildings and leaving a Somme-like mudbath while waiting for the recession to end. Or Time Lord-y hand-waving…
Reassemble, well, sort of, but that’s just a bit too like “re-arrange”, as in “deckchairs on the Titanic.” And it doesn’t imply that some pieces of the jigsaw puzzle might need to be thrown out, shaved, have bits bolted on.
Perturb is pretty similar to disrupt, and also doesn’t have the positive conotations.

* And yes, smart arses out there, I have considered “disformative”
+My personal favourite is by Martin Lukes, former CEO of the Atlanta-based multinational a-b glöbâl, and Financial Times columnist. His “Creovative™ is a combination of creative and imaginative.

Marc Hudson Feb 2010
Creative Commons yadda yadda yadda

Here are all the words that I looked at-

Transform
alter, commute, convert, cook, denature, doctor, make over, metamorphose, mold, mutate, reconstruct, remodel, renew, revamp, revolutionize, shift gears, sing different tune, switch, switch over, transfer, transfigure, translate, transmogrify, transmute, transpose, turn around, turn over new leaf, turn the corner, turn the tables
Affect:
act on, alter, change, disturb, impinge, impress, induce, influence, inspire, interest, involve, modify, move, overcome, perturb, prevail, regard, relate, stir, sway, touch, transform, upset
Alter
adapt, adjust, amend, change, convert, cook, correct mid-course, develop, dial back, diversify, doctor, fine tune, make different, metamorphose, modify, mutate, phony up, recalibrate, recast, reconstruct, refashion, reform, remodel, renovate, reshape, revamp, revise, shift, transform, transmute, turn, vary
Change
accommodate, adapt, adjust, alter, alternate, commute, convert, diminish, diverge, diversify, evolve, fluctuate, make innovations, make over, merge, metamorphose, moderate, modify, modulate, mutate, naturalize, recondition, redo, reduce, reform, regenerate, remake, remodel, renovate, reorganize, replace, resolve, restyle, revolutionize, shape, shift, substitute, tamper with, temper, transform, translate, transmute, transpose, turn, vacillate, vary, veer, warp
Convert
alter, apply, appropriate, commute, downlink, download, interchange, make, metamorphose, modify, remodel, reorganize, restyle, revise, switch, switch over, transfigure, transform, translate, transmogrify, transmute, transpose, turn
Modify
adapt, adjust, become, convert, correct, customize, doctor, mutate, recast, redo, refashion, reform, remodel, reorganize, repair, reshape, revise, rework, shift gears, switch over, transfigure, transform, transmogrify, transmute, turn, turn one around, turn over new leaf, turn the corner, turn the tables, tweak*, vary
Renew
begin again, brace, breathe new life into, bring up to date, continue, exhilarate, extend, fix up, freshen, gentrify, go over, mend, modernize, overhaul, prolong, reaffirm, reawaken, recommence, recondition, recreate, reestablish, refit, refresh, regenerate, rehabilitate, reinvigorate, rejuvenate, remodel, renovate, reopen, repair, repeat, replace, replenish, restate, restock, restore, resume, resuscitate, retread, revitalize, revive, spruce, stimulate, transform
Transcend
be superior, beat, best, better, eclipse, exceed, excel, go above, leave behind, leave in the dust, outdo, outrival, outshine, outstrip, outvie, overstep, overtop, rise above, top, transform
Re-create
begin again, brace, breathe new life into, bring up to date, continue, exhilarate, extend, fix up, freshen, furbish, gentrify, give a new look to, go over, mend, modernize, overhaul, prolong, reaffirm, reawaken, recommence, recondition, recreate, reestablish, refit, refresh, refurbish, regenerate, rehabilitate, reinvigorate, rejuvenate, remodel, renovate, reopen, repair, repeat, replace, replenish, restate, restock, restore, resume, resuscitate, retread, revamp, revitalize, revive, spruce, stimulate, transform

Disrupt
agitate, bollix, confuse, disarray, discombobulate, discompose, disorder, disturb, mess up, mix up, muck up, muddle, muddy the waters, psych out, put off, rattle, rattle one’s cage, rummage, screw up, shake, spoil, throw, unsettle, upset the apple cart
breach, break into, break up, fracture, hole, interfere with, intrude, obstruct, open, rupture, unsettle, upset
Dislocate
break, disarticulate, disconnect, disengage, disjoint, disorder, disrupt, disturb, disunite, divide, jumble, misplace, mix up, move, put out of joint, remove, rummage, separate, shift, transfer, unhinge, upset
Disturb
afflict, agitate, ail, alarm, amaze, annoy, arouse, astound, badger, burn up, complicate, confound, confuse, depress, discompose, dishearten, disrupt, distract, distress, excite, fluster, frighten, gall, grieve, harass, interfere, interrupt, intrude, irk, irritate, make uneasy, molest, muddle, outrage, pain, perplex, perturb, pester, pique, plague, provoke, puzzle, rattle, rouse, ruffle, shake, shake up, startle, tire, trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, vex, worry