Transient is used to describe a situation that lasts only a short time or is constantly changing.
[formal]
...the transient nature of high fashion.
In most cases, pain is transient.
Synonyms: brief, passing, short-term, temporary More Synonyms of transient
2. countable noun [usually plural]
Transients are people who stay in a place for only a short time and then move somewhere else.
[formal]
...a hotel for transients.
transient in British English
(ˈtrænzɪənt)
adjective
1.
for a short time only; temporary or transitory
2. philosophy a variant of transeunt
noun
3.
a transient person or thing
4. physics
a brief change in the state of a system, such as a sudden short-lived oscillation in the current flowing through a circuit
Derived forms
transience (ˈtransience) or transiency (ˈtransiency)
noun
transiently (ˈtransiently)
adverb
Word origin
C17: from Latin transiēns going over, from transīre to pass over, from trans- + īre to go
transient in American English
(ˈtrænʃənt; ˈtrænsiənt; ˈtrænʒənt; ˈtrænziənt)
adjective
1.
a.
passing away with time; not permanent; temporary; transitory
b.
passing quickly or soon; fleeting; ephemeral
2. US
staying only for a short time
the transient population at resorts
noun
3. US
a transient person or thing
transients at a hotel
4. Electricity
a temporary component of a current, resulting from a voltage surge, a change from one steady-state condition to another, etc.
SYNONYMY NOTE: transient applies to that which lasts or stays but a short time [a transient guest, feeling, etc.]; transitory refers to that which by its very nature must sooner or later pass or end [life is transitory]; ephemeral literally means existing only one day and, by extension, applies to that which ismarkedly short-lived [ephemeral glory]; momentary implies duration for a moment or an extremely short time [a momentary lull in the conversation]; evanescent applies to that which appears momentarily and fades quickly away [evanescent mental images]; fleeting implies of a thing that it passes swiftly and cannot be held [a fleeting thought]
OPPOSITES: lasting, permanent
Derived forms
transience (ˈtransience)
noun or ˈtransiency
transiently (ˈtransiently)
adverb
Word origin
L transiens, prp. of transire: see transit
transient in Mechanical Engineering
(trænʃənt)
adjective
(Mechanical engineering: Energy, thermodynamics and heat transfer)
A transient state changes with time.
This is known as a transient phase because it usually lasts less than a second.
Since the event is transient, it is difficult to locate the particle and study it.
A transient state changes with time.
transient in Electrical Engineering
(trænʃənt)
adjective
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Communication, Computing and control)
If something is transient, it only lasts a short time, such as an electrical surge due to lightning.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ current~ pulse~ load
The transient voltage from a lightning strike may damage sensitive electronic equipment.
Light bulbs often fail on switch-on due to the sudden transient current induced in a cold lamp filament.
If something is transient, it only lasts a short time, such as an electrical surge due to lightning.
transient response
Examples of 'transient' in a sentence
transient
These symptoms are of a transient nature but can be distressing to some.
Mervyn, Leonard Preventing Heart Disease (1987)
The transient nature of it is part of the romance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can download a free copy of the new quality standard for transient loss of consciousness at nice.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But it appears to me the primary blocks to growth are deeper and more complex than a transient population.
Christianity Today (2000)
Since then it's been like a transient society around here.
The Sun (2015)
It used to be a temporary option at a transient time in people 's lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The remembrance would thus be both permanent and transient, as nature is.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
A prosperous, transient population boosts demand for rented homes.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The transient workers, mainly from the subcontinent, are cricket fans.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He hinted that the less transient nature of his squad means he has yet to be given enough credit for Norwich's renaissance.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
transient
British English: transient ADJECTIVE
Transient is used to describe a situation that lasts only a short time or is constantly changing.
...the transient nature of high fashion.
American English: transient
Brazilian Portuguese: transitório
Chinese: 短暂的
European Spanish: transitorio
French: transitoire
German: vorübergehend
Italian: transitorio
Japanese: 瞬間的な
Korean: 끊임없이 변하는
European Portuguese: transitório
Latin American Spanish: transitorio
(adjective)
Definition
lasting for a short time only
the transient nature of high fashion
Synonyms
brief
This time their visit is brief.
passing
people who dismissed mobile phones as a passing fad
short-term
temporary
a temporary loss of memory
short
We had a short meeting.
flying
I paid a flying visit to the capital.
fleeting
They caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.
short-lived
Any hope that the speech would end the war was short-lived.
fugitive
Love is as fugitive and insubstantial as smoke, yet we all pursue it.
momentary
a momentary lapse of concentration
ephemeral
These paintings are a reminder that earthly pleasures are ephemeral.
transitory
Most teenage romances are transitory.
evanescent (formal)
the evanescent effects of light and weather on the landscape
impermanent
Looking at the sky reminds me how impermanent we all are.
here today and gone tomorrow
fugacious
Opposites
lasting
,
long-term
,
permanent
,
constant
,
enduring
,
persistent
,
eternal
,
abiding
,
durable
,
perpetual
,
long-lasting
,
undying
,
imperishable
Additional synonyms
in the sense of ephemeral
Definition
lasting only for a short time
These paintings are a reminder that earthly pleasures are ephemeral.
Synonyms
transient,
short,
passing,
brief,
temporary,
fleeting,
short-lived,
fugitive,
flitting,
momentary,
transitory,
evanescent (formal),
impermanent,
fugacious
in the sense of evanescent
Definition
quickly fading away
the evanescent effects of light and weather on the landscape
Synonyms
ephemeral,
passing,
brief,
fading,
fleeting,
vanishing,
short-lived,
fugitive,
transient,
momentary,
transitory,
impermanent,
fugacious
in the sense of fleeting
Definition
rapid and soon passing
They caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.
Synonyms
momentary,
short,
passing,
flying,
brief,
temporary,
short-lived,
fugitive,
transient,
flitting,
ephemeral,
transitory,
evanescent (formal),
fugacious,
here today, gone tomorrow
Synonyms of 'transient'
transient
Explore 'transient' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of flying
Definition
hurried and brief
I paid a flying visit to the capital.
Synonyms
hurried,
brief,
rushed,
fleeting,
short-lived,
hasty,
transitory,
fugacious
in the sense of fugitive
Definition
not permanent
Love is as fugitive and insubstantial as smoke, yet we all pursue it.
Synonyms
momentary,
short,
passing,
brief,
fleeing,
temporary,
fleeting,
unstable,
short-lived,
transient,
flitting,
ephemeral,
transitory,
evanescent (formal),
fugacious,
flying
in the sense of impermanent
Definition
not permanent
Looking at the sky reminds me how impermanent we all are.
Synonyms
temporary,
passing,
brief,
fleeting,
elusive,
mortal,
short-lived,
flying,
fugitive,
transient,
momentary,
ephemeral,
transitory,
perishable,
fly-by-night (informal),
evanescent,
inconstant,
fugacious,
here today, gone tomorrow (informal)
in the sense of momentary
Definition
lasting for only a moment
a momentary lapse of concentration
Synonyms
short-lived,
short,
brief,
temporary,
passing,
quick,
fleeting,
hasty,
transitory
in the sense of passing
Definition
momentary or short-lived
people who dismissed mobile phones as a passing fad
Synonyms
momentary,
fleeting,
short-lived,
transient,
ephemeral,
short,
brief,
temporary,
transitory,
evanescent (formal),
fugacious (rare)
in the sense of short
Definition
not lasting long
We had a short meeting.
Synonyms
brief,
quick,
fleeting,
short-term,
lightning,
short-lived,
momentary,
cursory
in the sense of short-lived
Definition
lasting only for a short time
Any hope that the speech would end the war was short-lived.