transitory
Americanadjective
-
not lasting, enduring, permanent, or eternal.
-
lasting only a short time; brief; short-lived; temporary.
- Antonyms:
- permanent
adjective
Synonym Usage
See temporary.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of transitory
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English transitorie, from Late Latin trānsitōrius “fleeting” ( see transit, -tory 1); replacing Middle English transitoire, from Middle French, from Late Latin, as above
Explanation
If something is fleeting or lasts a short time, it is transitory. Your boss declared the company's restructuring to be transitory, and promised that the company would emerge stronger and better than ever. The adjective transitory describes something that is fleeting, temporary, or brief. Even a transitory storm that passes quickly can get you drenched. Consider it an honor to be on the transitory team that helps the president make a smooth transfer of power. When you met your first love, your parents thought that the relationship was transitory — but fifty years later, you're still married!
Vocabulary lists containing transitory
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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The Great Gatsby
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Power Prefix: trans-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In addition, nearly a third of Locke students are transitory or “non-stable,” completing less than the full year at the school, but still take the state tests if they are in school at testing time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Fed officials were hoping inflation would be transitory over the past few years, Tipp said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
"Pakistani leaders are conducting shuttle diplomacy throughout the Middle East. The question is whether it is transitory and merely the product of the US president's idiosyncratic preferences."
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
In 2021, as price growth began accelerating in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, Powell termed the increase transitory, a product of supply-chain bottlenecks and other post-Covid distortions that it assumed would resolve.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
Instead, they have a bundle of energy, and that bundle of energy is transitory, migrating from one body to another, reincarnating endlessly until it eventually reaches enlightenment.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
