transient

American  

[tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt] / ˈtræn ʃənt, -ʒənt, -zi ənt /

adjective

1. not lasting, enduring, or permanent; transitory.

2. lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary.

   transient authority.

   Synonyms:

   evanescent, fugitive, flying, fleeting

   Antonyms:

   permanent

3. staying only a short time.

   the transient guests at a hotel.

4. Philosophy. transeunt.

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noun

1. a person or thing that is transient, especially a temporary guest, boarder, laborer, or the like.

2. Mathematics.

   1. a function that tends to zero as the independent variable tends to infinity.

   2. a solution, especially of a differential equation, having this property.

3. Physics.

   1. a nonperiodic signal of short duration.

   2. a decaying signal, wave, or oscillation.

4. Electricity. a sudden pulse of voltage or current.

transient British  

/ ˈtrænzɪənt /

adjective

1. for a short time only; temporary or transitory

2. philosophy a variant of transeunt

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noun

1. a transient person or thing

2. physics a brief change in the state of a system, such as a sudden short-lived oscillation in the current flowing through a circuit

Related Words

See temporary.

Other Word Forms

• nontransient adjective
• nontransiently adverb
• nontransientness noun
• transience noun
• transiently adverb
• transientness noun
• untransient adjective
• untransiently adverb
• untransientness noun

Etymology

Origin of transient

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin trānsiēns “going across,” present participle of trānsīre “to go across, pass over”; transit

Example Sentences

The woman was a possible transient at the time of her death, Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt.

From Los Angeles Times

He claimed at the tribunal in August that he had suffered from anxiety and depression, while a union representative said he "had suffered from a recognised condition that day, known as transient global amnesia".

From BBC

Each analysis detected a new transient light source in roughly the same region, reinforcing the conclusion that two separate collisions were observed.

From Science Daily

“Fractured trade and geopolitical tensions are not transient problems, but permanent features of a fragmented world,” Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in his 2026 New Year message.

From The Wall Street Journal

The low-centered mass also helps damp body roll and other transient forces.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• ephemeral
• fleeting
• short-term
• transitory