transient

1 of 2

adjective

tran·sient ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ənt

ˈtran-zē-ənt,

ˈtran(t)-sē-;

ˈtran-zhənt,

-jənt

Synonyms of transient next

: passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory

transient beauty

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

transient visitors

: 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

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

: a guest or boarder who stays only briefly

: a person traveling about usually in search of work

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

: 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.

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

Example Sentences

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 closer position has been transient for the club for the last decade. —

Dallas News, 8 Feb. 2023 The state’s workforce is transient, and many voters’ livelihoods depend on visitors eating, drinking, gambling and otherwise cavorting on the Las Vegas Strip and its environs — a tourism industry that has yet to fully rebound after being curtailed by the pandemic. —

Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2022 Another approach that’s been suggested is to use some of the state’s transient accommodations tax revenues instead. —

Marcel Honore, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2023 While most cases were transient and mild, and 90 percent of astronauts found relief by performing movements like flexing the spine or curling their knees to their chest, the discomfort still inhibited their ability to perform tasks. —

Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2023 This article explores these and other side effects of topical steroids, some of which are mild and transient and others of which are severe and irreversible. —

Verywell Health, 24 Jan. 2023 The life of a college coach can get transient and always on the move, recruiting or otherwise. —

Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2023 One of the most puzzling aspects of oil market analysis (and policy making more generally) concerns the frequent tendency to assume that short-term and transient developments represent the ‘new normal’ or a phase change. —

Michael Lynch, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023 The thought should thrill curators and historians around the world who otherwise might descend into futile culture-warring over colonialism or transient fads. —

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2022

Noun

Bussey said the man is a transient. —

Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2020 As the trip begins, Amy and Danny lob transient thoughts back and forth. —

Erin Qualey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2023 This guy’s transient. —

Derek Lawrence, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2023 The great chaotic demographic transient between the rise of Rome and the emergence of medieval Europe was over. —

Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 10 May 2010 My understanding is that in some African societies women in polygamous relationships have their own independent economic life, and the male is a transient between matrifocal households. —

Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2010 In contrast, in large populations many alleles are present floating in transient between emergence and extinction. —

Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2012 The victim, who police said was a transient, also had abrasions on his face. —

Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2022 Gascon also said that evidence suggests Bibiano didn't shoot or kill the transient. —

Adam Sabes, Fox News, 23 June 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'transient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.