transitional

adjective

tran·​si·​tion·​al tran(t)-ˈsi-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce transitional (audio)
tran(t)-ˈsi-zh(ə-)nəl,
tran-ˈzi-sh(ə-)nəl How to pronounce transitional (audio)
: marked by transition : involving, providing, or consisting of a passage, movement, or change from one state, condition, subject, place, etc., to another
a transitional passage in music
They are often transitional areas between water environments and dry land, and are populated by many trees and plants that can put up with the occasional flood …JoAnn Shroyer
The social worlds of neighborhood and village are now less important as transitional zones between home and nonhome settings.Theano S. Terkenli
… turning into a civilian coup, that … established a transitional government and prepared the way for multi-party elections.Larry Diamond
… an animal about the size of a turkey that they contend was a flightless bird, a transitional figure between some carnivorous dinosaurs and modern birds.John Noble Wilford
transitionally adverb
The problem then is to structure a sequence of reforms that is politically consistent with the social mores of the Soviet Union, economically coherent, and transitionally sound … Edgar L. Feige

Examples of transitional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Additional $50,000 per year transitional income needed for spouse and children if spouse went to part-time for three years: $145,795. Debt obligations: $700,000. Cicely Jones, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 Israeli forces also remain active inside the Syrian border region as victorious rebels there build a transitional government. David Brennan, ABC News, 20 Jan. 2025 City might still have defensive frailties — particularly in transitional moments — but having Ruben Dias back at the heart of defence will not be underestimated by Guardiola, especially given this was just the second clean sheet in their last eight Premier League games. Mark Carey, The Athletic, 19 Jan. 2025 The nine-member ruling transitional council, mounted last March with the help of Washington to return the country to democratic order, has been engulfed in a corruption scandal involving three of its members who have refused to step down. Michael Wilner, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for transitional 

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of transitional was in 1819

Dictionary Entries Near transitional

Cite this Entry

“Transitional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transitional. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

Medical Definition

transitional

adjective
tran·​si·​tion·​al
-ˈish-nəl, -ˈizh-ən-ᵊl
1
: of, relating to, or characterized by transition
2
: of, relating to, or being epithelium (as in the urinary bladder) that consists of several layers of soft cuboidal cells which become flattened when stretched (as when the bladder is distended)
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