impermanent
/im'pə:mənənt/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Existing or enduring for a limited time only; not permanent; not lasting: Describes something that is temporary, transient, or not meant to last forever. It emphasizes the finite nature of an object, condition, or state.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- The sandcastle was an impermanent structure, washed away by the tide.
- Happiness, like all emotions, is impermanent.
- They lived in impermanent shelters while the permanent houses were being built.
Advanced Usage
- Philosophical/Spiritual Context: Often used in discussions about the nature of existence, particularly in Buddhist philosophy, to describe the fundamental characteristic that all conditioned phenomena are transient and subject to change.
- The core teaching emphasizes the impermanent nature of all things.
Variants and Related Words
- Impermanence (noun): The state or fact of lasting for only a limited period of time; transience.
- The impermanence of life is a common theme in literature.
- Permanence (noun): The opposite state of lasting or remaining unchanged indefinitely.
Synonyms
- Temporary: Lasting for only a limited period; not permanent.
- Transient: Lasting only for a short time; impermanent.
- Fleeting: Lasting for a very short time.
- Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time (often with a poetic or literary tone).
- Provisional: Arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later.
Antonyms
- Permanent: Lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely.
- Lasting: Continuing for a long time; enduring.
- Everlasting: Lasting forever or for a very long time.
- Enduring: Lasting over a long period; durable.
Adjective
- existing or enduring for a limited time only
- not permanent; not lasting
- politics is an impermanent factor of life- James Thurber
- impermanent palm cottages
- a temperary arrangement
- temporary housing