temporariness
State of impermanence
Temporariness is the quality of being temporary—limited in duration, not permanent.
The word emphasizes that something will end: the temporariness of youth, the temporariness of a summer job.
It often carries a note of impermanence that invites reflection: He was struck by the temporariness of it all.
Temporary, soon departing
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
- short-livedLasting only briefly
- passingMoving by or temporary
impermanent · fugacious · vanishing · momentary · brief · fading · dissolving · evaporating
Provisional in-between phase
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
- makeshiftTemporary, improvised substitute
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
- placeholderTemporary position marker
acting · caretaker · stand-in · substitute · bridge · fill-in · pinch-hit · ad hoc
Dangerously insecure
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- unstableProne to sudden change
- changeableCapable of alteration
- mutableAble to be changed
shifting · uncertain · unreliable · insecure · shaky · tenuous · fragile · unsteady
Lasting very briefly
- instantaneousHappening without any delay
- briefShort in duration
- quickMoving with speed
- suddenOccurring without prior notice
flash · flicker · blink · heartbeat · jiffy · instant · split-second · short-term
transient
Temporary, soon departing
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
- short-livedLasting only briefly
passing · impermanent · fugacious · vanishing · momentary · brief · fading · dissolving · evaporating · wisp
interim
Provisional in-between phase
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
- makeshiftTemporary, improvised substitute
- tentativeUncertain and provisional
placeholder · acting · caretaker · stand-in · substitute · bridge · fill-in · pinch-hit · ad hoc · holding
precarious
Dangerously insecure
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- unstableProne to sudden change
- changeableCapable of alteration
mutable · shifting · uncertain · unreliable · insecure · shaky · tenuous · fragile · unsteady · wavering
momentary
Lasting very briefly
- instantaneousHappening without any delay
- briefShort in duration
- quickMoving with speed
sudden · flash · flicker · blink · heartbeat · jiffy · instant · split-second · short-term · limited
temporarinesspermanence
Quality of lasting indefinitely
permanency · perpetuity · eternity · endurance · lastingness
temporarinesspermanence
Quality of lasting indefinitely
fixedness · immutability · stability · settledness · fixity
temporary, tempo, temporal, contemporary, temporize, extemporaneous, contemporaneous, temporality, temporizing