transient
TRAN-zhee-uhnt
/ˈtrænziənt/
Lasting only for a short time; impermanent; staying in a place briefly before moving on.
Emphasizes temporary duration or short stay rather than poverty; can describe populations, weather, or emotions.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin 'transiens', the present participle of 'transire' ('to go across, pass over'). 'Trans-' means across, and 'ire' means to go. A transient is literally someone passing across a landscape or state of being.
Word relationships
- fleeting: Fleeting emphasizes rapid disappearance, whereas transient emphasizes temporary stay or duration.
- ephemeral: Ephemeral suggests a very brief existence by nature, like a flower that blooms for one day.
- permanent: Permanent means enduring endlessly without change.
Commonly confused with
- transition: Transition is the process of changing, while transient describes something short-lived.
Word family
- transience (noun): The state or quality of lasting only for a short time.
- transiently (adverb): In a manner that lasts only briefly.
Collocations
- transient population
- transient nature
- transient worker
Example sentences
- "The college town experiences a huge influx of transient residents every September." Urban Demographics
- "The feeling of anxiety proved to be transient, fading as soon as the test ended." Psychology
Memory hook
TRANS-IT: Just like public TRANSIT, a TRANSIENT person is always moving across stations. In TRANSIT = TRANSIENT stay.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'permanent' or 'entrenched'.
Fun facts
- In electrical engineering, a 'transient' is a sudden, momentary spike or surge in current or voltage.
Explore more words
transience, sojourn, peripatetic, interim, itinerant, transition
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