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 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 But, despite the transitory nature of her medium, Hawkins takes her craft seriously. Tabitha Parent, People.com, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for transitory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transitory
Adjective
  • But the building feels temporary, with United having previously discussed removing it.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The goal is to get a congress of 15, with at least eight members coming from Cincinnati's homeless shelters and seven representing people who live outdoors or in temporary housing.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • The emerging miners, exposed directly to the flash during its first split second, were covered in flash-absorbing black.
    Charles Pellegrino, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Even brief closures have cost the economy billions of dollars.
    Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The Chinese navy already makes port calls in Myanmar, but these are brief stays in facilities too primitive to provide naval advantage.
    Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • These voltage changes are known as transient faults and are the difference in measured voltage between consecutive readings.
    Chiara Eisner, NPR, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • There was a fleeting moment after Johnson’s second touchdown — a bullet from Dart into a tight window that the second-year tight end impressively snagged — that allowed one to wonder if the Giants’ fortunes were finally changing.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Unapologetically tense with zero filter, this transit tests boundaries, forcing us to confront what is sustainable versus what is simply fleeting.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The raw sewage rises to the surface, adding to the unbearable stink, which spreads and worsens with every passing day.
    Eli Sharabi, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Going into the game against the Gators, Manning has 888 passing yards and nine touchdown passes.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Various cultures interpreted the ephemeral aberrations as fairies, ghosts or spirits.
    Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Transitory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transitory. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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