impermanent

[im-pur-muh-nuhnt]

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adjective

not permanent or enduring; transitory.

Nearby words

Origin of impermanent

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

SYNONYMS FOR impermanent

fleeting, temporary, ephemeral, evanescent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR impermanent ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsim·per·ma·nence, im·per·ma·nen·cy, nounim·per·ma·nent·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for impermanent

He found an occasional momentary satisfaction in burned cork, but the joy was futile, and impermanent.
Despair's Last Journey|David Christie Murray
Their lives are like their work,—impermanent, detached from others', unobserved.
What eight million women want|Rheta Childe Dorr
Even on that view, however, the impermanent type must in some degree have affected that which survived.
The Evolution of States|J. M. Robertson
Fashion, as we have shown, had a slow and impermanent effect upon village ideals.
Chats on Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture|Arthur Hayden

Professor Baker "tries in the light of historical practice to distinguish the permanent from the impermanent in technic."
Pieces of Hate|Heywood Broun

British Dictionary definitions for impermanent

impermanent

adjective

not permanent; fleeting; transitory

Derived Formsimpermanence or impermanency, nounimpermanently, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for impermanent

impermanent

adj.

1650s, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + permanent.

impermanent

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of impermanent

Examples from the Web for impermanent

impermanent

adjective

impermanent