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
Here, Richard was rejoicing in his own reality — his ability to work on a film again, to be a director again —while recognizing its heartbreaking impermanence.
—
Wash Westmoreland, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
Whether exploring gluttony and sin (Pirates of the Caribbean), the impermanence of life (Haunted Mansion) or perseverance in hard work (Snow White’s Enchanted Wish), Disneyland finds delight in the messiness of life.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
The structure explores Denes’ lifelong exploration of pyramids merged with nature’s impermanence, using native plants that grow and decay over time.
—Rana Good, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
It was made of sandalwood, which Buddhists believe is a reminder of the impermanence of life.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impermanence
Wash Westmoreland, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Feb. 2025
Whether exploring gluttony and sin (Pirates of the Caribbean), the impermanence of life (Haunted Mansion) or perseverance in hard work (Snow White’s Enchanted Wish), Disneyland finds delight in the messiness of life.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
The structure explores Denes’ lifelong exploration of pyramids merged with nature’s impermanence, using native plants that grow and decay over time.
—Rana Good, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
It was made of sandalwood, which Buddhists believe is a reminder of the impermanence of life.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impermanence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impermanence
Noun
-
Fallen blossoms whisper on the damp earth, a fleeting poem of transience.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
-
While these two exhibits may feel distinct, for Suh, all of his work interrogates the boundaries between personal and public space, and the conditions that force transience or enable permanence.—
Megan Williams,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
Flowers are often emblems of ephemerality and mortality, as in the vanitas paintings so common in 17th-century Europe, where elaborate bouquets were often paired with skulls, fruit, and other reminders that blooming and decaying, life and death, are inseparable.—
Rebecca Solnit
October 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Oct. 2021
-
Mohammadi works with materials that disintegrate, for instance halva, soap, letting their ephemerality echo the fragility of memory.—
Nargess Banks,
Forbes.com,
26 May 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 4 Jul. 2025.
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