transient

1 of 2

adjective

tran·​sient ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt  ˈtran-zē-ənt 

ˈtran(t)-sē-;

ˈtran-zhənt,

-jənt

1

a

: passing into and out of existence especially in a short period of time : transitory

the transient nature of life

a transient increase in blood pressure

… transient events such as bright meteors …

—David L. DeBruyn

Immediate side effects are minimal and transient.

—Noah Ivers and Cora Constantinescu

b(1)

: passing through or by a place with only a brief stay or sojourn

transient visitors

transient workers

It has the city's most transient population, with 34% of residents having moved in the previous year.

—Lynn Moore

(2)

: relating to or characterized by a tendency to move from place to place

a transient lifestyle

Teenagers are at a transient age, and in a few months many will be headed to college or a job or the military.

—Jill Tucker and Joe Garofoli

No sport is as transient as the NHL. … Players come and go mainly because it's the default setting when things go wrong.

—Kevin Sherrington

(3)

: used by or intended for people who are passing through briefly

transient housing

2

: affecting something or producing results beyond itself

transiently adverb

transient

2 of 2

noun

1

: one that is transient (see transient entry 1): such as

a

: a guest or boarder who stays only briefly

Motels cater chiefly to transients.

b

: a person traveling about usually in search of work

2

a

: a temporary oscillation that occurs in a circuit because of a sudden change of voltage or of load

b

: a transient current or voltage

Did you know?

How should you use transient?

A transient mood is one that passes quickly. A brief stopover in a town on your way to somewhere else is a transient visit. A summer job on a farm is transient work, lasting only as long as the growing season. You may occasionally experience a transient episode of dizziness or weakness, which vanishes without a trace. As a noun, transient means a person who passes through a place, staying only briefly.

Synonyms of transient

Adjective

• temporary
• flash
• brief
• passing
• transitory

Choose the Right Synonym for transient

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 transient in a Sentence

Adjective

A Summer in New York is actually Europe, the Sequel—city of transient Danes and Italians and Spaniards and French. —Guy Trebay, Village Voice, 30 July 1991

But Vandenberg, who had already written a hagiographic biography of Hamilton, was doing his personal hero no service. Rather, he trivialized him by dragging him into the transient issues of the day. —John Steele Gordon, American Heritage, July/August 1990

The mountain lies between his residence and the main road, and occludes the expectation of transient visits. —Thomas Jefferson, letter, 4 Aug. 1820

had transient thoughts of quitting her job and going back to school

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The hotel generates between $150,000 and $200,000 annually in transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenue that will be lost after the conversion. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025

Stargazers interested in creating a lasting view of the transient visitors to Earth's sky should check out our guide to observing and photographing comets, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography in 2025. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Noun

For now, the discovery of the transients remains an intriguing puzzle. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 29 Oct. 2025

The flashes of light, or transients, look like stars appearing and disappearing within a single exposure. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin transeunt-, transiens, present participle of transire to cross, pass by, from trans- + ire to go — more at issue entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing transient

• transient ischemic attack

Kids Definition

transient

1 of 2 adjective

tran·​sient ˈtranch-ənt 

: not lasting or staying long

transiently adverb

transient

2 of 2 noun

1

: a temporary guest

2

: a person traveling about usually in search of work

Medical Definition

transient

adjective

tran·​sient ˈtran-zē-ənt  ˈtranch-ənt 

: passing away in time : existing temporarily

transient symptoms