transitional

adjective tran·si·tion·al \ tran(t)-ˈsish-nəl , tran(t)-ˈsizh- , tran-ˈzish- ; tran(t)-ˈsi-shə-nᵊl , tran-ˈzi- , -zhə- \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of transitional

: 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

Recent Examples of transitional from the Web

Grace House is part of a transitional housing program offered through St. Leonard’s Ministries, a health and social service agency founded in 1954 by Father James Jones, the Episcopal chaplain at the Cook County Jail.

— morgan greene, chicagotribune.com, "Cast of 'Lettie' visits the real Grace House for formerly incarcerated women on West Side," 10 Apr. 2018
Since 1997, the two clubs have been helping families rebuild their lives by supporting, via finances and mentorship, a transitional housing program.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "Soroptimists raise thousands at tea to help women and girls," 28 Mar. 2018
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s transitional housing program for Puerto Rican families fleeing the island in the wake of Hurricane Maria ended Tuesday, almost six months to the day that the storm made landfall.

— vinny vella, Courant Community, "Vinny Vella: Downtown Hartford Church Extends Needed Hand To Puerto Rican Families," 23 Mar. 2018
Last year, the youth-led nonprofit began donating the sets to elementary-age homeless children in transitional housing programs, an idea spearheaded by Harford Day School student Mario Nandalal, who sits on We Cancerve’s all-youth board of advisors.

— The Aegis, "We Cancerve donates books, stuffed animals to sick children, wins new award from Gov. Hogan," 19 Mar. 2018
The first stop is Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for a transitional program.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore's medical students celebrate years of hard work at Match Day," 15 Mar. 2018
The federal Affordable Care Act included a federal transitional reinsurance program for calendar year 2014 through 2016.

— Washington Post, "Maryland ponders ways to stabilize health insurance markets," 21 Feb. 2018
County spokeswoman Samantha Mott said TLCS gets nearly $7 million from the county, including more than $700,000 for the Palmer Apartments transitional living program.

— cynthia hubert, sacbee, "Her north Sacramento neighbors reported her stealing mail. They never thought that would make her homeless | The Sacramento Bee," 8 Feb. 2018
Realistically, plug-in hybrids are yet another transitional moment on the path to full electrics, just as hybrids have been.

— jim resnick, Ars Technica, "Review: Toyota’s new Prius Prime needs more battery," 24 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of transitional

1819

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

transitional

adjective tran·si·tion·al \ -ˈish-nəl, -ˈizh-ən-ᵊl \

medical Definition of transitional

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)