Synonym Chooser

How is the word transitory different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of transitory are ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, fugitive, momentary, and transient. While all these words mean "lasting or staying only a short time," transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

fame in the movies is transitory

When could ephemeral be used to replace transitory?

Although the words ephemeral and transitory have much in common, ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

When is evanescent a more appropriate choice than transitory?

The meanings of evanescent and transitory largely overlap; however, evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

How do fugitive and fleeting relate to one another, in the sense of transitory?

Both fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face
fleeting moments of joy

When would momentary be a good substitute for transitory?

While in some cases nearly identical to transitory, momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

my feelings of guilt were only momentary

In what contexts can transient take the place of transitory?

While the synonyms transient and transitory are close in meaning, transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of transitory Since Rahm Emanuel left office after two terms as Chicago mayor, this city has grown the size of its government even as its leaders knew federal aid was transitory and the exorbitant bill to shore up Chicago’s underfunded pensions only would grow for the foreseeable future. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2025 Items found in the building’s storerooms also indicate that the reoccupation of Pompeii was likely more permanent than transitory, Zuchtriegel said. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025 In the haunting new film from esteemed German director Christian Petzold (Transit, NYFF56), his regular star Paula Beer plays Laura, a pianist from Berlin who finds herself in a transitory state. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025 The team believes that this issue will be a transitory headwind that should abate in the back half of the year. Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for transitory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transitory
Adjective
  • The Italian retailer — which boasts flagships in Milan, Lugano, Switzerland, and Ibiza, Spain — has opened a temporary space inside the Patina Maldives luxury hospitality venue on Fari Islands, part of the North Malé atoll.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Ten days later, Richards' request for a temporary restraining order was granted.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez , Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • And many supermarkets offer bags of flash-frozen cranberries year-round.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
  • What To Know A map shared by the NWS on Facebook showed a broad corridor of flash-flood risk spanning the Western states and Southern Plains.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • At the very end, his mother made a brief appearance to wrap up the routine.
    Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The two most recently fought a brief conflict earlier this year.
    Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In fact, the tranquility of the rocking waves, or maybe the transient, ineffable quality of the water, seems to have lodged in Christian’s brain.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The recent brightening could be a transient outburst rather than a steady increase as the comet approaches to the sun, only time will tell.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But for this family, these everyday moments are precious and fleeting.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Newsweek spoke with two psychological experts who described a noticeable decline in how often adults experience romantic infatuation—whether fleeting, intense or somewhere in-between.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • La’Vell Wright leads the ground game with 203 yards and five scores, while Matthew Henry is the big-play threat in the passing game with 21 catches, 377 yards, and three TDs.
    Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The offensive passing game benefited with play-action fakes.
    Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Up ⬆ One Battle After Another The Oscars are very much not determined by statistics; there are graveyards full of Oscar hopefuls that looked like winners on paper but ultimately didn’t connect with voters for some ephemeral reason or another.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Emphasizing the project’s conceptual basis, one particularly ephemeral edition, The Biggest Nemyrivskiy Art Center, 2013, was a roughly nineteen-thousand-square-foot rectangle outlined on a snowy field by a plow, disappearing as soon as the snow began to melt.
    Joanna Warsza, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Transitory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transitory. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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