Definitions

transient

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

ADJECTIVE

temporary

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ephemeral fleeting short-term transitory

STRONG

brief flash fly-by-night flying fugitive passing short temporal volatile

WEAK

changeable deciduous emigrating evanescent flitting fugacious going by impermanent insubstantial migrating momentary moving provisional short-lived transmigratory unstable vacating

Antonyms

STRONGEST

enduring lasting lengthy long long-lived permanent perpetual

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Transient global amnesia is a sudden, temporary interruption of short-term memory.

From BBC • Jan. 4, 2026

Ho wrote the software that flagged the event in September 2022, while sifting through a half-million changes, or transients, detected daily in an all-sky survey conducted by the Califrnia-based Zwicky Transient Facility.

From Science Daily • Nov. 15, 2023

It was picked up by the Zwicky Transient Facility at Caltech.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2023

Janus was spotted using the Zwicky Transient Facility at Caltech's Palomar Observatory near San Diego, with subsequent observations made by other ground-based telescopes.

From Reuters • Jul. 21, 2023

Transient incomes suggest to every one who has any degree of reason the need of establishing and maintaining some future standard of living, and of investing enough to accomplish this.

From Essentials of Economic Theory As Applied to Modern Problems of Industry and Public Policy by Clark, John Bates

Vocabulary lists containing transient

The Declaration of Independence

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100 Top "SAT" Words

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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 4

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