transience

noun

tran·​sience ˈtran(t)-sh(ē-)ən(t)s  ˈtran-zē-ən(t)s 

ˈtran(t)-sē-;

ˈtran-zhən(t)s,

-jən(t)s

: the quality or state of being transient

Synonyms

• ephemerality
• evanescence
• fleetingness
• fugitiveness
• impermanence
• impermanency
• momentariness
• temporariness
• transiency
• transitoriness

Examples of transience in a Sentence

the transience of spring in northern climates means residents get to enjoy temperate weather only briefly before the heat and humidity of summer set in

Recent Examples on the Web

Although there will always be opposition to change, college sports have entered a new era defined by transience, athlete empowerment, and business acumen rather than the traditional amateur ideal. —Mark Lasota, Ph.d., Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024

Taken together, the series might seem the ultimate Impressionist statement on transience (even an eight-hundred-year-old slab blushes with the hours). —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

Spirit's ephemerality is so visible that even Saturday Night Live poked fun at its transience in a recent sketch. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 29 Oct. 2024

The trick is that transience itself takes on a thick, solid thinginess, each canvas barnacled over with paint. —Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above