Synonym Chooser

How is the word transitory different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of transitory are ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, fugitive, momentary, and transient. While all these words mean "lasting or staying only a short time," transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

fame in the movies is transitory

When could ephemeral be used to replace transitory?

Although the words ephemeral and transitory have much in common, ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

When is evanescent a more appropriate choice than transitory?

The meanings of evanescent and transitory largely overlap; however, evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

How do fugitive and fleeting relate to one another, in the sense of transitory?

Both fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face
fleeting moments of joy

When would momentary be a good substitute for transitory?

While in some cases nearly identical to transitory, momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

my feelings of guilt were only momentary

In what contexts can transient take the place of transitory?

While the synonyms transient and transitory are close in meaning, transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of transitory As was the case with Boseman’s untimely death from cancer, the wildfire storm that has changed Los Angeles forever is a reminder of the transitory nature of life. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025 Related Articles Now, Detroit, which has gone from one of the league’s most disappointing teams to its one of its hottest after hiring a name-brand coach in Todd McLellan, cleared some salary cap space ahead of the trade deadline, while the Ducks plugged a transitory hole in their goalie pipeline. Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 24 Feb. 2025 Some Republican economists also dismissed the idea that the fiscal stimulus would be inflationary, and financial markets suggested that investors believed that inflation would be transitory. Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025 His administration's efforts to characterize inflation as 'temporary' or 'transitory' in 2021 may have been technically correct, in the sense that the rate of inflation has come down from its heights following the pandemic. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for transitory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transitory
Adjective
  • The project feeds on the temporary abundance of glacial meltwater.
    Ari Caramanica, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The high court opinion comes just as the judge who issued the temporary restraining order was mulling whether to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for violating his order to pause last month’s flights of Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador.
    David Catanese, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Don’t let the lack of flash fool you — this guy is the real deal.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The German figures come a day before the scheduled release of flash inflation data for the euro area, which will be closely watched by investors for guidance on the odds of another interest rate cut from the European Central Bank.
    Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • More recently, a brief outburst of about 90 per hour was seen in 1922.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Francis made the unannounced visit near the end of Mass and delivered a brief greeting, all while receiving oxygen via his nose.
    Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Statistics on homelessness are fluid because the population is transient and tends to distrust outreach workers.
    Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2025
  • And even if that’s the case, our fantasies can be transient.
    Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Trust isn’t built by flash—it’s formed in those quick, fleeting moments when a brand chooses to engage.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • But for the most part these moments are fleeting, embarrassing; the characters try to connect with these figures of Firestone’s former world, and fail.
    Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • With each passing year, those trees grew more enormous.
    Thao Thai, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Needless to say, the quality of Lucasfilm's in-house animation work only goes up with each passing year.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Snapchat, meanwhile, exposed teens to risky interactions due to its ephemeral messaging, which fosters intimate but potentially unsafe connections.
    Abdulmalik Alluhidan, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
  • They’re not limited to Southern California, though; for more info on possible places these awesome, ephemeral displays might appear in 2025, check out the nonprofit Theodore Payne Foundation.
    Outside Online, Outside Online, 12 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Transitory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transitory. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on transitory

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