Words / C2

TRANZ-ee-uh-nt/ˈtrænziənt/

Transient means lasting only a short time: a transient spike, transient workers (short-stay). Ephemeral (already in the dictionary) is a literary cousin; temporary is everyday. Transitory is a close synonym. Transition is the process of changing. Do not call a decade-long policy transient.

Meaning

Lasting only a short time.

Examples

• “The spike in searches was transient; by Friday it had gone.”
• “The search spike was transient; by Friday the graph was flat.”
• “Transient staff are short-stay; a transient error in physics is a blip, not a culture.”

Good to know

Short-lived. Everyday: temporary. Literary cousin: ephemeral. Close: transitory. Mix-up: transition (a change process).

Near in meaning

temporary

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