If you say that something is transitory, you mean that it lasts only for a short time.
Most teenage romances are transitory.
...a sad reminder of the transitory nature of political success.
Synonyms: short-lived, short, passing, brief More Synonyms of transitory
transitory in British English
(ˈtrænsɪtərɪ, -trɪ)
adjective
of short duration; transient or ephemeral
Derived forms
transitorily (ˈtransitorily)
adverb
transitoriness (ˈtransitoriness)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Church Latin transitōrius passing, from Latin transitus a crossing over; see transient
transitory in American English
(ˈtrænsəˌtɔri; ˈtrænzəˌtɔri)
adjective
of a passing nature; not enduring or permanent; temporary, fleeting, or ephemeral; transient
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈtransient
Derived forms
transitorily (ˈtransiˌtorily)
adverb
transitoriness (ˈtransiˌtoriness)
noun
Word origin
ME transitorie < MFr transitoire < LL(Ec) transitorius < L, adapted for passing through < transitus: see transit
Examples of 'transitory' in a sentence
transitory
Not all coaches would have favoured the permanence of class over the transitory nature of form.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
His explanations have invariably emphasised the transitory nature of the problem.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It may be that there is something inherently transitory in this vanished form.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
The automobile is no more than a transitory phenomenon.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But he was more than a transitory pop culture phenomenon.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The main reason is inherent in the transitory nature of the Government he was asked to form a year ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Given the transitory nature of its effects, it is worth weighing up very carefully all the pros and cons before going ahead.
Sedgbeer, Sandra The A-Z of Beauty Treatment (1994)
So the transitory nature of American sport produces a transitory fixture in a foreign city and anyone who reads one atom of significance into it is crazy.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
(adjective)
Definition
lasting only for a short time
Most teenage romances are transitory.
Synonyms
short-lived
Any hope that the speech would end the war was short-lived.
short
We had a short meeting.
passing
people who dismissed mobile phones as a passing fad
brief
This time their visit is brief.
short-term
temporary
a temporary loss of memory
fleeting
They caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.
transient
the transient nature of high fashion
flying
I paid a flying visit to the capital.
momentary
a momentary lapse of concentration
ephemeral
These paintings are a reminder that earthly pleasures are ephemeral.
evanescent (formal)
the evanescent effects of light and weather on the landscape
impermanent
Looking at the sky reminds me how impermanent we all are.
here today and gone tomorrow
fugacious
Opposites
lasting
,
long-term
,
permanent
,
enduring
,
persistent
,
eternal
,
abiding
,
perpetual
,
long-lived
,
everlasting
,
undying
Seefleeting
Nearby words of
transitory
transit
transition
transitional
transitory
translate
translation
translator
Synonyms of 'transitory'
transitory
Explore 'transitory' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of fleeting
Definition
rapid and soon passing
They caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.
Synonyms
momentary,
short,
passing,
flying,
brief,
temporary,
short-lived,
fugitive,
transient,
flitting,
ephemeral,
transitory,
evanescent (formal),
fugacious,
here today, gone tomorrow
in the sense of flying
Definition
hurried and brief
I paid a flying visit to the capital.
Synonyms
hurried,
brief,
rushed,
fleeting,
short-lived,
hasty,
transitory,
fugacious
in the sense of impermanent
Definition
not permanent
Looking at the sky reminds me how impermanent we all are.
Synonyms
temporary,
passing,
brief,
fleeting,
elusive,
mortal,
short-lived,
flying,
fugitive,
transient,
momentary,
ephemeral,
transitory,
perishable,
fly-by-night (informal),
evanescent,
inconstant,
fugacious,
here today, gone tomorrow (informal)
in the sense of momentary
Definition
lasting for only a moment
a momentary lapse of concentration
Synonyms
short-lived,
short,
brief,
temporary,
passing,
quick,
fleeting,
hasty,
transitory
in the sense of passing
Definition
momentary or short-lived
people who dismissed mobile phones as a passing fad