transient

1 of 2

adjective

tran·​sient ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt 

ˈtran-zē-ənt,

ˈtran(t)-sē-;

ˈtran-zhənt,

-jənt

1

a

: passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory

transient beauty

b

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

transient visitors

2

: affecting something or producing results beyond itself

transiently adverb

transient

2 of 2

noun

tran·​sient ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt 

ˈtran-zē-ənt,

ˈtran(t)-sē-;

ˈtran-zhənt,

-jənt

1

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

a

: a guest or boarder who stays only briefly

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

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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

Adjective

• brief
• deciduous
• ephemeral
• evanescent
• flash
• fleeting
• fugacious
• fugitive
• impermanent
• momentary
• passing
• short-lived
• temporary
• 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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The city collected about $163,000 in transient occupancy tax from short-term rentals in fiscal 2022-23, Madera said. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2023

Side Effects Most penicillin side effects are mild and transient and will resolve on their own without treatment. —Jenny Sweigard, Verywell Health, 16 Nov. 2023

According to Black Desert officials’ numbers, the resort is expected to generate $57 million in transient room taxes and $33 million in sales tax during its first 40 years of operation. —Mark Eddington, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023

Henton is believed to be transient and to frequent the riverfront area on both the Iowa and Nebraska sides, police said. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2023

Our era of transient media consumption has pinned aesthetic depth in the hands of a few niche subcultures. —Anto Dotcom, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023

The ocean waters around Vancouver Island are home to three Southern Resident orca pods, along with a number of transient orcas that roam from Alaska down to California. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 25 Oct. 2023

These symptoms are usually mild and transient but can be bothersome for some people. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2023

Ultrafast photography has applications in motion tracking and analysis, security, and robotic vision, as well as in laboratories to see transient physical, chemical, or biological phenomena. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 Sep. 2023

Noun

The city would also have received an additional 5% surcharge over its regular 14% transient occupancy tax. —Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2023

Now, astronomers have discovered a new X-ray transient and are offering an explanation for these outbursts. —Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2023

Hello Adaptive Audio, Goodbye Adaptive Transparency The Adaptive Transparency mode that was originally available for the AirPods Pro lowered any transient sounds over 85dB in a graceful manner. —Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023

The same year, more than 61% of voters in Lompoc, Calif., backed a 1% special transient occupancy tax increase for hotels, motels, short-term rentals and other lodgings to pay for police and fire services. —Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023

The City of Hillsboro allocated $18 million in its transient lodging tax and the team’s owners, Mike and Laura McMurray committed to paying $82 million toward the project through a private bond that would be paid back through ballpark revenues. —Bill Oram, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023

According to the team, similar behavior has been observed in quasi-periodic eruptions and periodic nuclear transients. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Sep. 2023

Both men were transients and had lengthy criminal histories for property and drug crimes. —Carol Robinson | [e-mail], al, 29 Aug. 2023

In recent years, scientists have puzzled over a particular class of transients – bursts of intense X-rays and light shot from distant galactic centers. —Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2023

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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

• 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