transitory
Not built lasting
Transitory describes something that lasts only a short time or is passing through: transitory pleasures, a transitory phase.
The word emphasizes impermanence—what exists now will soon be gone.
It carries a slightly more formal or literary tone than temporary, and often suggests the fleeting nature of experience itself: Youth is transitory.
Short in duration
- instantaneousHappening without any delay
- flashBrief burst of light
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
split-second · blink · heartbeat · twinkling · nanosecond · microsecond · eyeblink · flicker
Limited in duration
- short-livedLasting only briefly
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
- fugaciousLasting very briefly
- vanishingCeasing to be visible
fading · dissipating · evaporative · disappearing · withering · perishable · mortal · finite
Provisional in-between phase
- provisionalConditional and possibly temporary
- temporaryLimited in duration
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
- intermediateBetween two levels
bridging · changeover · in-between · liminal · threshold · makeshift · tentative · acting
Liable to sudden change
- fluctuatingShifting irregularly over time
- changeableCapable of alteration
- mutableAble to be changed
- unstableProne to sudden change
precarious · shifting · variable · inconstant · mercurial · capricious · fickle · erratic
brief
Short in duration
- instantaneousHappening without any delay
- flashBrief burst of light
- fleetingPassing very quickly
momentary · split-second · blink · heartbeat · twinkling · nanosecond · microsecond · eyeblink · flicker · instant
temporary
Limited in duration
- short-livedLasting only briefly
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
- fugaciousLasting very briefly
vanishing · fading · dissipating · evaporative · disappearing · withering · perishable · mortal · finite · mayfly
interim
Provisional in-between phase
- provisionalConditional and possibly temporary
- temporaryLimited in duration
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
intermediate · bridging · changeover · in-between · liminal · threshold · makeshift · tentative · acting · placeholder
volatile
Liable to sudden change
- fluctuatingShifting irregularly over time
- changeableCapable of alteration
- mutableAble to be changed
unstable · precarious · shifting · variable · inconstant · mercurial · capricious · fickle · erratic · unsteady