transitional

Language: en

🇺🇸 /træˈnsɪʃənəl/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Relating to or characteristic of a transition; serving as a bridge or intermediary between two states, conditions, or stages.; In politics, referring to a government or administration that is temporary and exists to bridge the gap between one regime and another.; In architecture or art, describing a style that combines elements of two successive periods or movements.; In paleontology or biology, describing a fossil or organism that shows characteristics intermediate between two groups, representing an evolutionary link.; In music, relating to a passage that connects two sections or movements of a composition.; In psychology or social work, relating to the process of adjusting to a new life stage or situation, such as retirement, parenthood, or relocation.; In economics, describing a phase in which an economy is shifting from one system to another, such as from a planned economy to a market economy.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more transitional Superlative: most transitional

Collocations

transitional periodtransitional phasetransitional governmenttransitional justicetransitional stagetransitional economy

Derivatives

transitiontransitionallytransitionarytransitionalism

Synonyms

interimprovisionalintermediatetransitorytemporarypassing

Antonyms

permanentfinaldefinitivestable

Commonly confused

transitory
EN: 'Transitory' means lasting only a short time (fleeting), while 'transitional' specifically relates to a process of change from one state to another.
transient
EN: 'Transient' emphasizes brevity and impermanence of something passing through, while 'transitional' emphasizes the process of moving between stages.
transitionary
EN: 'Transitionary' is a less common variant of 'transitional' with the same meaning; 'transitional' is the standard and preferred form.

Spelling tips

EN: Do not confuse 'transitional' with 'transitory' or 'transient,' which have related but distinct meanings. Note the '-al' suffix, not '-ary' (though 'transitionary' exists as a rare variant).

💬 Examples

  1. The country went through a transitional period after the revolution before establishing a stable government.

  2. A transitional government was formed to oversee the elections and transfer power to the newly elected leaders.

  3. The cathedral exhibits transitional features between Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

  4. Archaeopteryx is considered a transitional form between non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds.

  5. The transitional passage modulates from the key of C major to A minor before the second theme begins.

  6. She attended transitional counseling sessions to help cope with the challenges of becoming a new parent.

  7. Many transitional economies in Eastern Europe faced severe inflation during the 1990s.