impermanent

[ im-pur-muh-nuhnt ]

adjective

1. not permanent or enduring; transitory.

   Synonyms: evanescent, ephemeral, temporary, fleeting

impermanent

/ ɪmˈpɜːmənənt /

adjective

1. not permanent; fleeting; transitory

Derived Forms

• imˈpermanently, adverb
• imˈpermanence, noun

Other Words From

• im·per·ma·nence im·per·ma·nen·cy noun
• im·per·ma·nent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impermanent¹

First recorded in 1645–55; im- ² + permanent

Example Sentences

Without moral transformation, political changes to laws and leaders would be impermanent and vulnerable to backsliding.

From Salon

Los Angeles, like its residents, is impermanent, always shape-shifting, always on the verge of becoming something else.

From Los Angeles Times

And he wrote the piece because he felt like so many things on the internet are impermanent, right?

From Salon

The city, like its residents, is impermanent, always shape-shifting, always on the verge of becoming something else.

From Los Angeles Times

His answer is what he calls “Precarious Sculpture,” proliferating jumbles of lumpen objects made from common, impermanent stuff, as if refusing to play by the elitist rules of enduring art.

From New York Times