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

Other Word Forms

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

But with so many players being loaned out to other clubs, the transient nature of such arrangements also risks diluting the identity of teams.

From BBC

Moreover, the “transient nature” of the festival, Allen said, will be a challenge throughout the investigation.

From Salon

Many other cities by this point had razed their neighborhoods where transients and derelicts stayed.

From Los Angeles Times

The area on the eastern side of downtown Los Angeles whose cheap residential hotels, bars, liquor stores and missions made it a magnet for transients becomes widely known as Skid Row.

From Los Angeles Times

Joseph Holland, a 58-year-old transient, was identified July 3, less than 24 hours after a graphic video was released publicly by San Diego County officials and carried on social media and local television news.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ephemeral 
• fleeting 
• short-term 
• transitory