transitional

adjective

tran·​si·​tion·​al tran(t)-ˈsish-nəl 

tran(t)-ˈsizh-,

tran-ˈzish-;

tran(t)-ˈsi-shə-nᵊl,

tran-ˈzi-,

-zhə-

: marked by transition : involving, providing, or consisting of a passage, movement, or change from one state, condition, subject, place, etc., to another

a transitional passage in music

They are often transitional areas between water environments and dry land, and are populated by many trees and plants that can put up with the occasional flood …

—JoAnn Shroyer

The social worlds of neighborhood and village are now less important as transitional zones between home and nonhome settings.

—Theano S. Terkenli

… turning into a civilian coup, that … established a transitional government and prepared the way for multi-party elections.

—Larry Diamond

… an animal about the size of a turkey that they contend was a flightless bird, a transitional figure between some carnivorous dinosaurs and modern birds.

—John Noble Wilford

transitionally adverb

The problem then is to structure a sequence of reforms that is politically consistent with the social mores of the Soviet Union, economically coherent, and transitionally sound …

—Edgar L. Feige

Examples of transitional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The heavier fabric makes this the perfect transitional look to have on-hand for the start of fall. —Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2024

The Town Council ultimately approved an ordinance requiring transitional community residences, including sober homes, located within 1,000 feet of an existing community residence to obtain a special permit from the town. —Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 12 July 2024

In 2003 the Bulldog fire in southeast Utah burned more than 30,000 acres of critical summer and transitional mule deer range. —Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 12 July 2024

The luxurious and comfortably appointed interiors make up for the two-story transitional contemporary mansion’s rather dull facade, giving guests an immediate view of the swimming pool from its entrance. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 11 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

transitional

adjective

tran·​si·​tion·​al

-ˈish-nəl, -ˈizh-ən-ᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or characterized by transition

2

: of, relating to, or being epithelium (as in the urinary bladder) that consists of several layers of soft cuboidal cells which become flattened when stretched (as when the bladder is distended)