transient

play

adjective tran·sient \ ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt ; ˈtran-zē-ənt , ˈtran(t)-sē- ; ˈtran-zhənt , -jənt \

Definition of transient

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

See transient defined for English-language learners

See transient defined for kids

Examples of transient in a Sentence

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 of transient from the Web

The juxtaposition of the flowers out of water and the vase, particularly in context of the insects and skulls, was intended to remind the viewer of the transient, pained beauty of life.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Reflections of an Accidental Florist," 28 Aug. 2017
Unfortunately for eclipse-viewers, this high pressure will be transient — making for a rain-free weekend but giving way to an approaching low-pressure system Monday.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Sunny weekend ahead, but clouds threaten Monday's eclipse-viewing," 18 Aug. 2017
These include transient killer whales, also known as Bigg’s killer whales, that range along the west coast of North America hunting seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, and the calves of larger whale species.

— elin kelsey, Smithsonian, "What Humpback Whales Can Teach Us About Compassion," 18 Aug. 2017
BURLINGTON - The Boone County Fiscal Court unanimously passed the 1 percent increase to the transient room tax Aug. 8.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "Boone vote sets motion for hotel bed increase," 16 Aug. 2017
COVINGTON – Campbell and Kenton counties have approved a 1 percent increase in the region's transient room tax.

— melissa reinert, Cincinnati.com, "Kenton, Campbell approve hotel bed tax increase," 12 July 2017
Other transient orcas, which eat marine mammals such as stellar sea lions and seals, also migrate through the Salish Sea.

— rocky barker and brittany peterson, idahostatesman, "Fate of Pacific Northwest orcas tied to having enough Columbia River salmon," 9 July 2017
In general, resident orcas—those that live in the same place year-round—eat fish and squid, while transient orcas, the scarcer type, take down bigger prey.

— maria antonova, National Geographic, "Orcas Feast on Whale in Shocking Raw Video," 6 July 2017
Desai said Washington is an attractive market in part because of its density and its transient population, which means there are probably a lot of people in the area who don't have a regular primary-care doctor.

— hayley tsukayama, chicagotribune.com, "Doctor on demand: How app culture is reviving the house call," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'transient.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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. The hoboes and tramps of earlier years were some of our most colorful transients, known for hopping freight trains, panhandling on the street, and stealing homemade pies cooling on the windowsill.

Origin and Etymology of transient

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

See Words from the same year

transient Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, lasting, long-lived, permanent, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending

Related Words

little, short, shortish; acting, interim, provisional, short-term

Near Antonyms

lifelong; continuing, durable, persistent; imperishable, indefectible, indestructible

Synonym Discussion of 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

transient

play

noun tran·sient \ ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt ; ˈtran-zē-ənt , ˈtran(t)-sē- ; ˈtran-zhənt , -jənt \

Definition of transient

1 :one that is transient (see ¹transient): 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

See transient defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of transient from the Web

Houden mentioned targeting some transients from Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

— karen pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wauwatosa residents express concern over proposed development of historic log cabin property," 23 Aug. 2017
In the February 2017 murder trial of Kevin Curtis — a transient charged with murder in the fatal 2013 stabbing of a former Lake Villa man in a Waukegan motel — the jury was out for more than three days.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Judge or jury? Lake County experts discuss the critical decision each trial defendant must make," 11 Aug. 2017
That was when the rail lines were bustling and circuses camped outside of town, filling Peru with transients, although the Census Department put the permanent population at 8,000-12,000.

— doug struck, The Christian Science Monitor, "Coming home again: What brings people back to a dying town?," 11 Aug. 2017
The mayor said there will also be increased security to keep people who are transient from trashing it.

— carole carlson, Post-Tribune, "Gary Metro Center gets first upgrade since 1985 opening," 7 Aug. 2017
The bag is like a bindle rethought for the modern-day transient.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Just One Question About Leonardo DiCaprio’s Plastic Bag-Turned-Fanny Pack," 18 July 2017
The bag is like a bindle rethought for the modern-day transient.

— kenzie bryant, vanityfair.com, "Just One Question About Leonardo DiCaprio’s Plastic Bag-Turned-Fanny Pack," 18 July 2017
Different orca types, such as residents and transients, live in the same area but rarely interact.

— rocky barker and brittany peterson, idahostatesman, "Fate of Pacific Northwest orcas tied to having enough Columbia River salmon," 9 July 2017
GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles described Easley as a transient.

— mike stewart, The Seattle Times, "Bank standoff ends in death of man claiming to have bomb," 7 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of transient

see ¹transient

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1652

See Words from the same year

TRANSIENT Defined for English Language Learners

transient

play

adjective

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

: not lasting long
: staying somewhere only a short time

transient

play

noun

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

: a person who does not have a permanent home and who stays in a place for only a short time before going somewhere else

TRANSIENT Defined for Kids

transient

play

adjective tran·sient \ ˈtran-shənt \

Definition of transient for Students

:not lasting or staying long

a transient illness

transient workers

transient

noun

Definition of transient for Students

:a person traveling about usually in search of work

Medical Dictionary

transient

play

adjective tran·sient \ ˈtran-zē-ənt , ˈtranch-ənt \

medical Definition of transient

:passing away in time :existing temporarily

transient symptoms

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for transient Spanish Central: Translation of transient Nglish: Translation of transient for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of transient for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about transient

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Origin and Etymology of transient

transient Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of transient

transient

Definition of transient

Recent Examples of transient from the Web

Origin and Etymology of transient

TRANSIENT Defined for English Language Learners

transient

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

transient

Definition of transient for English Language Learners

TRANSIENT Defined for Kids

transient

Definition of transient for Students

transient

Definition of transient for Students

Medical Dictionary

transient

medical Definition of transient

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