transient

[ tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt ]

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.

noun

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

/ ˈtrænzɪənt /

adjective

1. for a short time only; temporary or transitory
2. philosophy a variant of transeunt

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

Derived Forms

• ˈtransience, noun
• ˈtransiently, adverb

Other Words From

• transient·ly adverb
• transient·ness noun
• non·transient adjective
• non·transient·ly adverb
• non·transient·ness noun
• un·transient adjective
• un·transient·ly adverb
• un·transient·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of transient¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of transient¹

C17: from Latin transiēns going over, from transīre to pass over, from trans- + īre to go

Synonym Study

See temporary.

Example Sentences

"What we reasoned was perhaps if we had a system that simulates that fullness in a transient way, meaning right before a meal, that could be a way of inducing weight loss."

From Science Daily

Long-period radio transients are relatively new to science, and it has been an ongoing mystery how they generate radio waves.

From Science Daily

Stressing your muscles through exercise strengthens them, and transient stress on cells can prompt them to a response that ultimately strengthens them.

From Science Daily

Though some patients experienced mild and transient side effects such as nausea, dizziness and daytime sleepiness, there were no serious adverse events and no rebound in symptom severity after the drug wore off.

From Science Daily

However, such is the transient nature of football, Fernandes’ return to form will now benefit someone else.

From BBC

Related Words

• ephemeral
• fleeting
• short-term
• transitory