Reformation usually means "returning to a clean start," removing accumulated corruption and impurity. It is often used in reference to institutions, sets of practices, and people; those in favor of reformation usually believe that they are correcting errors and returning to a rightful course, such as with reformed criminals.

Famous reformations include:

• The Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement.
• The Radical Reformation, an Anabaptist movement concurrent with the Protestant Reformation.
• The Counter-Reformation, a Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation.
• Reformation (Indonesia), the (current) era in Indonesia after the fall of President Suharto, characterizied by increased freedom and political participation.

See also

• Reform