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”; transit

Example Sentences

Phillip Nova adds that the move reflects not just transient fear, but a deeper repositioning of global asset allocation, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 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

All of that immense mass of flesh and bone and consciousness will disappear by absorption into the earth, without recognition by the transient survivors.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• ephemeral
• fleeting
• short-term
• transitory