Transitory Meaning
/ˈtɹæn.zɪ.t(ə)ɹɪ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjLasting only a short time; temporary.
adjOf an action: that may be brought in any county
Sentence Examples
The feeling of happiness was transitory and soon faded away.
Transitory means lasting for only a very short and brief time.
The scientists observed that the effect was transitory and quickly faded.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The happiness he felt was ____ because it disappeared after just one day.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She realized that her feelings of sadness were ____ and that she would soon feel much better and more positive again today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French transitoire, from Old French, from Latin trānsitōrius.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Secondly, That the Materials being very tranſitory, have ſuffered much from Inclemencies of Air, eſpecially in theſe North-Weſt Regions."
— 1704, [Jonathan Swift], “Section I. The Introduction.”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], →OCLC, page 34:
"Quite unconscious of the demonstrations of their amorous neighbour, or their effects upon the susceptible bosom of her mama, Kate Nickleby had, by this time begun to enjoy a settled feeling of tranquillity and happiness, to which, even in occasional and transitory glimpses, she had long been a stranger."
— 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, “Comprises certain Particulars arising out of a Visit of Condolence, which may prove important hereafter. Smike unexpectedly encounters a very old Friend, who invites him to his house, and will take no denial.”, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 366:
"For a moment she paused by the taxi-stand and watched them—wondering that but a few years before she had been of their number, ever setting out for a radiant Somewhere, always just about to have that ultimate passionate adventure for which the girls' cloaks were delicate and beautifully furred, for which their cheeks were painted and their hearts higher than the transitory dome of pleasure that would engulf them, coiffure, cloak, and all."
— 1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, “A Matter of Æsthetics”, in The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, book 3, page 359:
"in transitory actions, for injuries that might have happened anywhere"
— 1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The happiness he felt was ____ because it disappeared after just one day.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She realized that her feelings of sadness were ____ and that she would soon feel much better and more positive again today.