impermanent

American  

[im-pur-muh-nuhnt] / ɪmˈpɜr mə nənt /

adjective

1. not permanent or enduring; transitory.

   Synonyms:

   evanescent, ephemeral, temporary, fleeting

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impermanent British  

/ ɪmˈpɜːmənənt /

adjective

1. not permanent; fleeting; transitory

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Other Word Forms

• impermanence noun
• impermanency noun
• impermanently adverb

Etymology

Origin of impermanent

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

Explanation

Impermanent describes something that's temporary, like a bad poison ivy rash, a one-day sale at your favorite store, or a message written in the sky by an airplane. The adjective impermanent is useful for talking about things that are fleeting or transitory; bubbles, the summer, a baby's cute lisp, and a wonderful dream are all impermanent. Many religions, especially Buddhism, emphasize the impermanent nature of everything in life, and the inevitability of change. The word at the root of impermanent is permanent, from the Latin permanere, "endure, continue, or stay to the end."

Example Sentences

He’s rough-hewn, simple, hardworking, not immune to the impermanent nature of the world but brought up short when that world goes awry; Mr. Edgerton has to give emotional depth to a laconic character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Second, once achieved, manhood status is tenuous and impermanent; that is, it can be lost or taken away.

From Salon • Jun. 27, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024

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 • Feb. 1, 2024

There may be a vast chapter in the development of art here that is largely lost to us simply because Neolithic artists worked in wood or other impermanent materials.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson