as in transience
the state or quality of lasting only for a short time
the ancient Roman ruins are a telling reminder of the impermanence of even the grandest man-made constructions
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Recent Examples of impermanence
The ritual of impermanence The manner of preparing powdered green tea depends on the techniques and practices of the various schools.
—
The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Life here is a daily meditation on impermanence, which is a writing practice.
—Literary Hub, 19 Dec. 2025
But the director, one of Mexico’s most interesting filmmakers, also uses this as an opportunity to explore his country’s fascination with death, intercutting artworks, poems, and interviews about the nature of mortality and impermanence.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Suffused with the heady impermanence of first love, King’s sixth novel is bittersweet, astutely observed and thoroughly engaging.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impermanence
The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Life here is a daily meditation on impermanence, which is a writing practice.
—Literary Hub, 19 Dec. 2025
But the director, one of Mexico’s most interesting filmmakers, also uses this as an opportunity to explore his country’s fascination with death, intercutting artworks, poems, and interviews about the nature of mortality and impermanence.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Suffused with the heady impermanence of first love, King’s sixth novel is bittersweet, astutely observed and thoroughly engaging.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impermanence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impermanence
Noun
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This transience helps The Darling stay fresh, allowing guests to engage with works at the cutting-edge of the Danish art scene.—
Stephanie Gavan,
Vogue,
9 Jan. 2026
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The bond between [the lead characters] is a prism through which to experience both the transience and the permanence of what matters most to us in life.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.—
Matthew Geiger,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
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February was deemed an appropriate time for a special observance of Black history not because of the shortness of the month, but instead to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation.—
Scott Talley,
Freep.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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There’s a certain catch-as-catch-can ephemerality to this work, which tends to appear for quick two- or three-day engagements, sometimes in familiar places—Lincoln Center’s dizzying Festival of Firsts (in the David Rubenstein Atrium, through Oct. 23), for instance—and sometimes farther afield.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
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Also in Japan there is a strong connection and respect towards nature, people in Japan appreciate the ephemerality of it.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But transiency in the back of the bullpen extends well beyond Woodward’s arrival.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
27 July 2022
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The council will hold a workshop outlining strategies and efforts to remedy homelessness and transiency in the city.—
Laura Groch,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2021
Noun
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To explain why a gag is funny is to crush its soufflé evanescence.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
19 Mar. 2025
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The Stranger with its exploration of another facet of exile and belonging, this time set on a flood-prone German island that exists in a perpetual struggle between evanescence and permanence.—
Jay D. Weissberg,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impermanence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impermanence. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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