transitory

1 of 2

adjective

tran·​si·​to·​ry ˈtran(t)-sə-ˌtȯr-ē  ˈtran-zə- 

1

: of brief duration : temporary

the transitory nature of earthly joy

2

: tending to pass away : not persistent

transitorily

ˌtran(t)-sə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē 

ˌtran-zə-

adverb

transitoriness

ˈtran(t)-sə-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs 

ˈtran-zə-

noun

transitoriness

2 of 2

noun

tran·​si·​to·​ri·​ness

-tȯr-, 

-rin-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being transitory

the sense of the impermanence of things, the transitoriness of life

—Laurence Binyon

Synonyms of transitory

Adjective

• temporary
• flash
• brief
• transient
• fleeting
• passing
• ephemeral

Choose the Right Synonym for transitory

transient, transitory, ephemeral, momentary, fugitive, fleeting, evanescent mean lasting or staying only a short time.

transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

fame in the movies is transitory

ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

my feelings of guilt were only momentary

fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face

fleeting moments of joy

evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

Examples of transitory in a Sentence

Adjective

the transitory nature of earthly pleasures

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Yet even after the events have ended, the economic boost from the World Cup, Super Bowl and March Madness might wind up being only transitory. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 7 June 2026

Christopher Thornberg, founding partner at Beacon Economics, believes the higher inflation numbers are a transitory (temporary) shock, and not a sustained one. —Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 26 May 2026

Parikh sees risks of transitory margin headwinds relating to fuel contributing to a modest shortfall in Costco's earnings per share. —Liz Napolitano,lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 18 May 2026

Leonardo Ferragamo continues to serve as chair, overseeing the transitory period. —Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English transitorie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin transitorius, from Latin, of or allowing passage, from transire

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for transitory

• allegory
• amatory
• auditory
• category
• clerestory
• crematory
• desultory
• dilatory
• dormitory
• excretory
• feudatory
• gustatory

Kids Definition

transitory

adjective

tran·​si·​to·​ry ˈtran(t)s-ə-ˌtōr-ē  ˈtranz- 

-ˌtȯr-

: lasting only a short time : short-lived, temporary

transitorily

ˌtran(t)s-ə-ˈtōr-ə-lē 

ˌtranz-, 

-ˈtȯr-

adverb