as in transience
the state or quality of lasting only for a short time
the ancient Roman ruins are a telling reminder of the impermanence of even the grandest man-made constructions
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Recent Examples of impermanence
But there is also a Japanese tradition, much influenced by the Buddhist notion of impermanence, that delights in the fleetingness of beauty, as with the cherry blossom that swiftly loses its bloom.
—
Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Embracing impermanence has been a cornerstone of Mowry’s courage, amid such a major life transition.
—Essence, 17 Dec. 2024
This inherent impermanence makes tariffs totally ineffective at driving long-term corporate decision-making regarding where to locate facilities and jobs.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
In each of these works, Sugimoto expresses his lifelong existential investigation of permanence and impermanence, of what is and is not real, of form and emptiness, and in doing so his works of art capturie the unimaginable and the unseen.
—Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impermanence
Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Embracing impermanence has been a cornerstone of Mowry’s courage, amid such a major life transition.
—Essence, 17 Dec. 2024
This inherent impermanence makes tariffs totally ineffective at driving long-term corporate decision-making regarding where to locate facilities and jobs.
—Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
In each of these works, Sugimoto expresses his lifelong existential investigation of permanence and impermanence, of what is and is not real, of form and emptiness, and in doing so his works of art capturie the unimaginable and the unseen.
—Tom Teicholz, Forbes, 23 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for impermanence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impermanence
Noun
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Also memorable is an earlier image while still in Hamburg, in Sarah’s apartment, where the passing trains through the window underline the overall feeling of transience.—
Jay D. Weissberg,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The transience of childhood gives way to a permanence that defines adulthood.—
Rick Tumlinson,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Perhaps the most beautiful thing about these sweets are their ephemerality.—
Caroline Newton,
Bon Appétit,
12 Dec. 2024
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But his understanding of the ephemerality of youth lends emotional impact to what might otherwise have been just killer party music.—
Pitchfork,
Pitchfork,
3 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But transiency in the back of the bullpen extends well beyond Woodward’s arrival.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
27 July 2022
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The council will hold a workshop outlining strategies and efforts to remedy homelessness and transiency in the city.—
Laura Groch,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2021
Noun
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The Stranger with its exploration of another facet of exile and belonging, this time set on a flood-prone German island that exists in a perpetual struggle between evanescence and permanence.—
Jay D. Weissberg,
Deadline,
19 Feb. 2025
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Share [Findings] Researchers proposed replacing the paradigm of extinction with that of evanescence.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper's Magazine,
22 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Impermanence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impermanence. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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