transitoriness
- noun
- /trænˈzɪtərɪnəs/
Examples
-
Something about the transitoriness of everything got to me.
Fiction book (1990) -
I guess it's the transitoriness of everything that chokes me up.
Fiction book (1990) -
The desolation came, it passed, it was over, its transitoriness as mysterious as its intensity.
Academic text (1998) -
Many young people have known only the uncertainty, transitoriness, and unsanitary conditions of refugee settlements.
Academic text (1999) -
Nobility is a constant reminder both of the objective and hierarchical character of value, but also of the transitoriness and finiteness of every merely human rank and claim.
Academic text (2001) -
In recognizing the transitoriness of youth, she decided to travel the world while she still had the chance.
-
The artist often depicted the transitoriness of life in her work, reminding viewers that nothing lasts forever.
-
He contemplated the transitoriness of their relationship after realizing how quickly time seemed to pass.
Synonyms
A state of not lasting forever and likely to change
A short time before something changes or ends
A short time that something exists before it ends
A temporary condition that does not last forever
Antonyms
How Temporary
Surface Forms
Morphology
transitoriness = transitory (semi-transparent) = transit + ory + ness
Forming the noun from 'transitory' + '-ness' is regular, but 'transitory' itself derives from 'transit' with a semantic shift to 'temporary' that may not be obvious to learners.
Etymology
Transitoriness is from the same root as transit and transition, with the part trans- meaning 'across' or 'to pass'. So transitoriness is the quality of 'passing' or 'not staying long', which is why it means something that is temporary.