transient

I

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Temporary]

Syn. provisional, ephemeral, transitory, momentary, evanescent, fleeting; see also temporary .

2. [In motion]

Syn. migrating, emigrating, vacating; see moving 2 .

Syn.- transient applies to that which lasts or stays but a short time [ a transient guest, feeling, etc. ] ; transitory refers to that which by its very nature must sooner or later pass or end [ life is transitory] ; ephemeral literally means existing only one day and, by extension, applies to that which is markedly short-lived [ephemeral glory ] ; momentary implies duration for a moment or an extremely short time [ a momentary lull in the conversation ] ; evanescent applies to that which appears momentarily and fades quickly away [ an evanescent image of the scene revealed by lightning ] ; fleeting suggests the swift passing movement of a thing that cannot be caught or held [ a fleeting thought ] n.

Syn. guest, tourist, traveler, overnight boarder, visitor, migrant worker, migrant.

II

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

drifter, vagrant, vagabond, tramp, hobo, migrant worker, traveler.

II

(VOCABULARY WORD) a.

[TRAN shunt]

temporary, passing quickly.

The blue moon is a transient phenomenon.

SYN.: temporary, passing, fleeting, impermanent, short-lived, transitory, ephemeral, momentary, short-term, brief, evanescent.

ANT.: permanent, long-term, lasting

III

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective Lasting or existing only for a short time: ephemeral, evanescent, fleet, fleeting, fugacious, fugitive, momentary, passing, short-lived, temporal, temporary, transitory. See CONTINUE, TIME.