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

• transients
  plural

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

Synonym Usage

See temporary.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• transients
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of transient

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

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Explanation

Use the adjective transient to describe something that always changes or moves around. If your older brother is constantly moving from city to city, you can say he's transient. Transient is most often used to modify nouns like nature, threat, source and cause, which suggests that the word often shows up in formal contexts, like analysis of finance or global terrorism. But it can also be used for anything that moves quickly from one thing to another, like a transient feeling or facial expression. Transient is also a noun meaning "a person who moves from place to place; a homeless person." The word comes from Latin transire, "to pass over," so you can think of it as describing things that are quickly passed over.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transient transients

It isn't the first government to try this, but existing algorithm controls are often transient and come with trade-offs in app functionality.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The result is pure, rich excess — a fashion documentary unlike any other, that manages to capture the transient joy and whimsy of an era where fashion was allowed to be, dare I say, fun.

From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026

However, margin pressures in the quarter are likely transient, and the company’s cost structure should normalize and result in improving profitability, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Inspired by the transient beauty of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura — which is illustrated in their album cover, alongside a dark pegasus — much of the LP also hinges on melodrama.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Many workers were transient, intending only to spend a few months in the country before returning to their families.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

These events, called fast X-ray transients, have several possible origins.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

While he’s trying to rebuild, he’s had to fend off transients who trespass onto his property on a regular basis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

New findings show that the transient killer whales living along the West Coast between British Columbia and California are actually divided into two separate subpopulations known as inner and outer coast transients.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2025

"Now our findings show the West Coast transients are two distinct groups, split along an east-west divide. They eat different things, hunt in different areas and very rarely spend time with each other."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2025

Permanent transients with no attachments and tired looking men with their families and dogs in flivvers.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

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Related Words

• ephemeral
• fleeting
• short-term
• transitory

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