transient

Language: en

🇺🇸 /ˈtrænʒənt/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Lasting only for a short time; impermanent; temporary.; Passing through or staying only briefly in a place.; In physics, relating to or denoting a process or state that exists only temporarily before reaching a steady state.
  2. noun
    A person who is staying or working in a place for only a short time; a temporary resident or traveler.; In physics or engineering, a temporary change in a system's state before it settles into a steady condition.

🔗 Details

Word forms

countable Plural: transients Comparative: more transient Superlative: most transient

Collocations

transient populationtransient naturetransient ischaemic attacktransient statetransient phenomenon

Derivatives

transiencetransiencytransiently

Synonyms

temporaryfleetingephemeralmomentarypassingshort-lived

Antonyms

permanentlastingenduringperpetual

Commonly confused

transitory
EN: 'Transitory' emphasizes the inherent quality of not lasting, while 'transient' often emphasizes the brief stay or passage of something/someone.
transitional
EN: 'Transitional' refers to a phase of change between two states, while 'transient' means lasting only a short time without implying a process of change.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'transient' has only one 's' and ends in '-ent', not '-ant'. Do not write 'transcient'.

💬 Examples

  1. The transient beauty of the cherry blossoms reminded us of the fleeting nature of life.

  2. The hotel catered mainly to transient guests who stayed for only one or two nights.

  3. The transient response of the circuit was measured before it reached equilibrium.

  4. The shelter provided beds for transients who had no permanent address.

  5. A voltage transient was observed when the switch was first turned on.