chrysalis

[kris-uh-lis] / ˈkrɪs ə lɪs /

NOUN

development

Synonyms

STRONGEST

advancement evolution expansion improvement increase progress

STRONG

addition adulthood advance augmentation boost buildup developing enlargement flowering hike maturation maturity ontogenesis ontogeny progression reinforcement ripening spread spreading unfolding

WEAK

adding to advancing augmenting elaborating evolvement evolving increasing making progress maturing ongoing perfecting reinforcing unraveling upgrowth upping

Antonyms

STRONGEST

decline decrease halt retreat retrogression stoppage

STRONG

lessening reduction shrinkage stagnation withdrawal

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Trefry likened this awkward time of life to the stage in a butterfly’s development when a caterpillar disappears inside a chrysalis and dissolves into goo before reforming into something entirely new.

From Salon • Nov. 24, 2025

Nearly every one of those caterpillars at some point drops from the tree canopy to overwinter or create a chrysalis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

But Nirupama Rao, former Indian ambassador to Beijing and Washington, says India is "a titan in chrysalis" - too large and ambitious to bind itself to any single great power.

From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025

Also like Mozart, Tao emerged from the often-precarious chrysalis of childhood as a prodigy to become a complex artist, tirelessly curious to seek out new challenges.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024

You can collect a caterpillar and keep it in a jar until it turns into a chrysalis.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

Vocabulary lists containing chrysalis

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