Adjective: transient tran-zee-unt or tran-shunt [N. Amer], tran-zee-unt [Brit]
- Lasting a very short time
"youth's transient beauty";
- ephemeral, passing, short-lived, transitory, fugacious, here today and gone tomorrow [informal], here today gone tomorrow [informal]
- (philosophy) of a mental act; causing effects outside the mind
"The philosopher argued that certain thoughts have transient properties";
- transeunt
- One who stays for only a short time
"transient labourers"
- (physics) a short-lived oscillation in a system caused by a sudden change of voltage, current or load
"The electrical engineer analysed the transient response of the circuit"
Derived forms: transients
See also: impermanent, temporary
Type of: oscillation, traveler [US], traveller [Brit, Cdn], vibration
Antonym: durable, lasting, long-lasting, long-lived
Encyclopedia: Transient