transitional

adjective

tran·​si·​tion·​al tran(t)-ˈsi-sh(ə-)nəl 

tran(t)-ˈsi-zh(ə-)nəl,

tran-ˈzi-sh(ə-)nəl 

: 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

Standout elements of the collection include the CloudCut pieces designed with as versatile transitional apparel, merging minimalist style with performance comfort. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025

Some have chosen to return, a reflection of their lack of options amid the power struggle between Viv Ansanm and Haiti’s beleaguered transitional government. —Johnny Fils-Aimé, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025

Shopping for a new season can be overwhelming, especially if your closet is in dire need of transitional staples. —Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025

That gives Bruni Tedeschi, Marcello and his co-writers Letizia Russo and Guido Silei a lot of freedom to mold this influential giant of the 19th century stage during a transitional period toward the end of her life. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for transitional

• additional
• conditional
• nutritional
• positional
• traditional
• volitional
• compositional
• definitional
• depositional
• dispositional
• intuitional
• nontraditional

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)