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

Also, hard lofts tend to be located in more transitional areas of big cities while soft lofts are usually developed in higher-end areas with a price tag to match. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024

The United States and Caricom, a regional trade bloc, have pledged to help form a transitional government in the country, but that plan has yet to materialize. —Char Adams, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024

An international security force may be necessary to install the transitional government and confront gang control of the capital. —Pierre Esperance, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2024

Related article Only Henry can sign off on Haiti’s transitional council, embattled PM’s office tells CNN Henry came to power unelected in 2021 after the assassination of Haiti’s then-President Jovenel Moïse. —Ray Sanchez, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024

If Boeing is looking for a transitional CEO who can bring continuity and credibility from the pre-Calhoun era, few would be better suited than Conner. 5. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024

The resumption of international flights out of Cap-Haïtien comes as gang violence continues to engulf Port-au-Prince, and a plan brokered by the Caribbean Community and the United States to establish a transitional presidential council is still being finalized. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2024

While media is in an odd transitional space, Dent feels like the future of fashion PR will lean heavily into mastering partnership management. —Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024

Leslie Voltaire, a candidate for the transitional council, told CNN Thursday that he was frustrated with how long the political process was taking while gangs gained territory. —Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN, 21 Mar. 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)