Standard Lemma guide

transitory

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈtɹæn.zɪ.t(ə)ɹɪ/
  • UK: /ˈtɹæn.sɪ.t(ə)ɹɪ/
  • US: /ˈtɹæn.zɪˌtɔɹ.i/
  • US: /ˈtɹæn.sɪˌtɔɹ.i/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AE1 N Z AH0 T AO2 R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Lasting only a short time; temporary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: earthly, ephemeral, brief, deciduous, evanescent, fleeting, flying, fugacious, fugitive, instant, momentary, passing, perishable, quick, seasonable, short, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitive, transitory, volatile, whilend, worldly

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of an action: that may be brought in any county

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: local

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

lasting a very short time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the ephemeral joys of childhood
  • a passing fancy
  • youth's transient beauty
  • love is transitory but it is eternal
  • fugacious blossoms

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transient, fugacious

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle French transitoire, from Old French, from Latin trānsitōrius.

Across languages

Translations

44 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: անցողական (ancʻoġakan) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Bulgarian: краткотраен (kratkotraen) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Bulgarian: мимолетен (mimoleten) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Bulgarian: временен (vremenen) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Catalan: transitori — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 暫時的 /暂时的 (zànshí de) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 短暫的 /短暂的 (duǎnzàn de) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Danish: kortvarig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Danish: forbigående — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Danish: midlertidig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Dutch: voorbijgaand — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Dutch: transitorisch — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Finnish: väliaikainen — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Finnish: lyhytaikainen — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Finnish: ohimenevä — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • French: passager — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • French: provisoire — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • French: transitoire — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Galician: transitorio — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Galician: pasadío — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • German: vorübergehend — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • German: flüchtig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • German: vorbeigehend — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Irish: díomuan — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Irish: duthain — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Irish: gearrshaolach — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Latin: fugāx — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Māori: rangitahi — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: transitorisk — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: forbigående — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: midlertidig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: transitorisk — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Portuguese: transitório — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Romanian: trecător — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Russian: вре́менный (vrémennyj) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Russian: мимолётный (mimoljótnyj) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Russian: преходящий (prexodjaščij) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Russian: эфемерный (efemernyj) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Russian: кратковременный (kratkovremennyj) — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Scottish Gaelic: fuadain — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Spanish: transitorio — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Swedish: kortvarig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Swedish: flyktig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing
  • Swedish: förgänglig — lasting only a short time — see also transient, passing