transitional

adjective

tran·​si·​tion·​al tran(t)-ˈsish-nəl 

tran(t)-ˈsizh-,

tran-ˈzish-;

tran(t)-ˈsi-shə-nᵊl,

tran-ˈzi-,

-zhə-

: marked by transition : involving, providing, or consisting of a passage, movement, or change from one state, condition, subject, place, etc., to another

a transitional passage in music

They are often transitional areas between water environments and dry land, and are populated by many trees and plants that can put up with the occasional flood …

—JoAnn Shroyer

The social worlds of neighborhood and village are now less important as transitional zones between home and nonhome settings.

—Theano S. Terkenli

… turning into a civilian coup, that … established a transitional government and prepared the way for multi-party elections.

—Larry Diamond

… an animal about the size of a turkey that they contend was a flightless bird, a transitional figure between some carnivorous dinosaurs and modern birds.

—John Noble Wilford

transitionally adverb

The problem then is to structure a sequence of reforms that is politically consistent with the social mores of the Soviet Union, economically coherent, and transitionally sound …

—Edgar L. Feige

Examples of transitional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Politics: After a tense war of words and accusations against Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s government, the nine members of the transitional presidential council have finally been officially named. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

There’s always space in your closet for staples, and this knit tank from Scoop just so happens to be an excellent transitional option for spring. —Megan Schaltegger, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

transitional

adjective

tran·​si·​tion·​al

-ˈish-nəl, -ˈizh-ən-ᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by transition

2

: of, relating to, or being epithelium (as in the urinary bladder) that consists of several layers of soft cuboidal cells which become flattened when stretched (as when the bladder is distended)