1
as in temporary
intended to last, continue, or serve for a limited time
built an impermanent structure to serve for the archaeologists' living quarters during the dig
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flash
lasting only for a short time
a summer romance that was an impermanent fancy, quickly forgotten
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of impermanent
But public art is impermanent by design; posters may last months or disappear within hours.
—
Yamlek Mojica, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
And executive orders are famously impermanent.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Pushed to the margins, people of African descent maintained burial traditions and used impermanent or specific grave markers such as shells, bottles, clocks or ceramics – items that were culturally meaningful but often invisible or unimportant to white observers.
—Joanna Gilmore, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025
Absent from BringFido’s list are the three ballparks with the smallest capacities (excluding impermanent sites such as Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, currently home to the Athletics): Cleveland’s Progressive Field (34,830), Miami’s LoanDepot Park (36,742) and Fenway Park (37,775).
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impermanent
Yamlek Mojica, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
And executive orders are famously impermanent.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Pushed to the margins, people of African descent maintained burial traditions and used impermanent or specific grave markers such as shells, bottles, clocks or ceramics – items that were culturally meaningful but often invisible or unimportant to white observers.
—Joanna Gilmore, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2025
Absent from BringFido’s list are the three ballparks with the smallest capacities (excluding impermanent sites such as Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park, currently home to the Athletics): Cleveland’s Progressive Field (34,830), Miami’s LoanDepot Park (36,742) and Fenway Park (37,775).
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impermanent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impermanent
Adjective
-
Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between the US and Iran in recent months during the war in the Middle East, playing a leading role in negotiating a temporary ceasefire in April.—
Alayna Treene,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Authority is temporary and shared equally among seven voices.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Don’t miss Alcopop’s Black Mango Watermelon, Seongju Chamoe and Watermelon Ice Pop; Matcha Latte, with flash-frozen local herbs and a hand-cut ice diamond; and Journey, a concoction that maps a tomato’s global odyssey.—
Melinda Sheckells,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
The heaviest rain has shifted eastward, with the island of Molokai under a flash-flood warning on Sunday.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The city’s release said Boise Airport Deputy Director of Finance and Business Development Kathleen Watkins would serve as interim director while a search begins to recruit Hupp’s replacement.—
Shannon Tyler
May 31,
Idaho Statesman,
31 May 2026
-
Helen Toner, interim executive director at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said those differing descriptions about AI in the military are both true.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
After a brief trip to the locker room, Brunson quickly returned to the bench and eventually re-entered the game.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
The fact that no player had posted a tribute to the outgoing coach had raised some eyebrows until Van Dijk posted his own brief missive on social media.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, with how transient college athletes are now, these cupcake performances can come at a detriment to the program, as Knight would end up transferring following the firing of Auburn coach Hugh Freeze at the end of the 2025 season.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
The supervisors previously directed staff to research raising the transient occupancy tax rate in an effort to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Christopher Thornberg, founding partner at Beacon Economics, believes the higher inflation numbers are a transitory (temporary) shock, and not a sustained one.—
Jeff Lazerson,
Oc Register,
26 May 2026
-
Parikh sees risks of transitory margin headwinds relating to fuel contributing to a modest shortfall in Costco's earnings per share.—
Liz Napolitano,Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Adjective
-
They're laid, each fall, in ephemeral ponds; on dry mounds, like the one Dahrouge is circling, that should be inundated by winter's rains.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 May 2026
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Even though physical connection is important, partners have to temper this with the knowledge that beauty, novelty and infatuation are inherently ephemeral.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Zinedine Zidane, the great French playmaker, headbutted Marco Materazzi, a wily Italian defender who had made a passing remark about Zidane’s sister.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
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The Eagles spent the offseason bolstering the passing game with a post-Brown offense in mind.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Impermanent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impermanent. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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