transitional

American  

[tran-zish-uh-nl, -sish-] / trænˈzɪʃ ə nl, -ˈsɪʃ- /

Also transitionary

adjective

1. of or relating to a transition from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another: transitional housing for people with serious mental illness.

   transitional governments;

   transitional housing for people with serious mental illness.

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Other Word Forms

• nontransitional
  adjective
• transitionally
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of transitional

First recorded in 1670–80; transition ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

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Explanation

Sometimes people who have been laid off from their old jobs and haven’t been able to find new ones say they are in a transitional period. In other words, they are in the middle of a change. The adjective transitional relates to things such as governments, office spaces, or aspects of one’s life that are in the process of changing. This is a temporary state, until a permanent solution is established, and the word is often used with a sense of hope. For example, when someone goes through a romantic breakup and is hoping to find someone new, she might also say she is in a transitional phase. A synonym for transitional is interim.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transitional

Olid explained that her side had navigated a "transitional period" and had taken part in big discussions following their five-goal home humbling by Chelsea.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

In Marylou Escobar’s kindergarten classroom at John Muir Elementary in Glendale, seven of her 20 students attended transitional kindergarten.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

He loved the rudimentary males he found embedded in the females of one particular species—precisely the kind of weird transitional form his theory of evolution would depend upon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

It said several key talks under the agreement remained incomplete and urged the parties to agree on a path towards credible elections and a peaceful end to the transitional period, which has lasted since independence.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

At this stage in her life Briony inhabited an ill-defined transitional space between the nursery and adult worlds which she crossed and recrossed unpredictably.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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Related Words

• capricious
• fickle
• fluctuating
• mercurial
• protean
• shifting
• unpredictable
• unsettled
• unstable
• varying
• volatile

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