Meaning & use
changing the landscape
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomfigurative
Altering the whole situation or field in which something happens, often permanently.
Grammar: Takes an object or a 'of' phrase: 'changing the landscape of healthcare'; it is not used with a plural verb.
Patterns
- changing the landscape of something
- changing the political landscape
- changing the landscape for someone
Online shopping is changing the landscape of small-town retail.
The new law is changing the landscape for freelance workers.
A single discovery can change the landscape of an entire industry.
phraseidiom
Physically altering the appearance of an area of land, for example through building or farming.
Grammar: Literal use; often passive: 'The valley's landscape was changed by the dam.'
Patterns
- changing the landscape of an area
- change the landscape forever
Wind farms are changing the landscape of this coastal region.
Decades of mining changed the landscape beyond recognition.
New roads are changing the landscape around the lake.
Common combinations
- change the political landscape
- The election changed the political landscape overnight.
- change the landscape of an industry
- Smartphones changed the landscape of the music industry.
- change the landscape forever
- That flood changed the landscape forever.
- rapidly changing landscape
- Firms must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape.
- change the landscape for good
- The ruling changed the landscape for good.
Synonyms and how they differ
- transform the scene
- Similar figurative idea, but 'transform' stresses a complete change of form rather than a shift in conditions.
- reshape the field
- Close in meaning, though 'field' is more common in academic writing about research or business.
Word family
- landscape noun
- The visible features of an area of land, or the general situation of an activity.
- landscaping noun
- The work of arranging the plants and features of a garden or grounds.
Commonly confused: changing the landscape or changing the scenery?
changing the landscape vs changing the scenery
This usually refers to the painted background in a theater or to a literal view; it does not carry the figurative 'whole situation' meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase in its figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
Only option B refers to altering a whole field or situation (banking), which is the figurative sense. A, C and D all describe physical land or a garden.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “changing the landscape”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.