transient

American  

[tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt] / ˈtræn ʃənt, -ʒənt, -zi ənt /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈtrænzɪənt /

adjective

1. for a short time only; temporary or transitory

2. philosophy a variant of transeunt

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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

Related Words

See temporary.

Other Word Forms

• nontransient adjective
• nontransiently adverb
• nontransientness noun
• transience noun
• transiently adverb
• transientness noun
• untransient adjective
• untransiently adverb
• untransientness noun

Etymology

Origin of transient

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

Explanation

Use the adjective transient to describe something that always changes or moves around. If your older brother is constantly moving from city to city, you can say he's transient. Transient is most often used to modify nouns like nature, threat, source and cause, which suggests that the word often shows up in formal contexts, like analysis of finance or global terrorism. But it can also be used for anything that moves quickly from one thing to another, like a transient feeling or facial expression. Transient is also a noun meaning "a person who moves from place to place; a homeless person." The word comes from Latin transire, "to pass over," so you can think of it as describing things that are quickly passed over.

Example Sentences

Chief Executive Officer Anthony Capuano said solid leisure transient and cross-border travel supported international trends, while U.S. and Canada travel trends were hurt by the extended U.S. government shutdown.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

“We view any rally as transient, recommending selling any Brent rally above $70 per barrel, as balances loosen further through the first half of 2026,” Martoccia wrote.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

“These memory bubbles are transient but impossible to time,” they said.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026

He claimed at the tribunal in August that he had suffered from anxiety and depression, while a union representative said he "had suffered from a recognised condition that day, known as transient global amnesia".

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

Under certain circumstances, the membrane surrounding blepharisma disintegrates and comes independently loose, like a cast-off shell, leaving the creature a transient albino.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• ephemeral
• fleeting
• short-term
• transitory