transient

[tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt]

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.

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

/ ˈtrænzɪənt /

adjective

1. for a short time only; temporary or transitory

2. philosophy a variant of transeunt

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of transient¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of transient¹

C17: from Latin transiēns going over, from transīre to pass over, from _trans- + īre to go

Synonym Study

See temporary.

Example Sentences

"She is really transient in the way she is sleeping rough and doesn't seem like she is accessing support from anybody at the minute."

From BBC

As Salon previously reported, the temporary conditions, transient and anonymous nature of the festival make it difficult for police to do their work.

From Salon

Quinones, a local resident, called the Sheriff’s Office again and was told the woman was a “transient” and that he should leave her alone, the outlet reported.

From Los Angeles Times

But with so many players being loaned out to other clubs, the transient nature of such arrangements also risks diluting the identity of teams.

From BBC

Moreover, the “transient nature” of the festival, Allen said, will be a challenge throughout the investigation.

From Salon

Related Words

• ephemeral 
• fleeting 
• short-term 
• transitory