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Transient vs Eternal - What's the difference?

transient | eternal |

In philosophy terms the difference between transient and eternal

is that transient is operating beyond itself; having an external effect while eternal is existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly.

As adjectives the difference between transient and eternal

is that transient is passing or disappearing with time; transitory while eternal is lasting forever; unending.

As a noun transient

is something which is transient.

transient

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Passing or disappearing with time; transitory.
    • a transient pleasure
  • * Milton
    • this transient world
  • Remaining for only a brief time.
    • a transient view of a landscape
  • (physics) Decaying with time, especially exponentially.
  • (mathematics, stochastic processes, of a state) having a positive probability of being left and never being visited again.
  • Occasional; isolated; one-off; individual.
  • Passing through; passing from one person to another.
  • (philosophy) Operating beyond itself; having an external effect.

    • Synonyms

    * (passing) passing, transitory, temporary * (brief) brief, ephemeral, fleeting, flighty, fugacious

    Antonyms

    * (passing) permanent * (brief) permanent * (mathematics) recurrent * (philosophy) immanent

    Derived terms

    * transience * transiently * transientness

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Something which is transient.
  • (physics) A transient phenomenon, especially an electric current; a very brief surge.
  • (acoustics) A relatively loud, non-repeating signal in an audio waveform which occurs very quickly, such as the attack of a snare drum.
  • A person who passes through a place for a short time; a traveller; a migrant worker
  • * 1996 , , Oyster , Virago Press, paperback edition, page 3
    • Then, within the space of a few months, there were more transients than there were locals, and the imbalance seemed morally wrong.
  • An unhoused person

    • Synonyms

    * (4) traveller: itinerant, migrant, traveller * (5) homeless: homeless

    Anagrams

    * *

    eternal

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (chiefly archaic) * (obsolete) * eternall (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Lasting forever; unending.
  • * John Locke
    • to know whether there were any real being, whose duration has been eternal
  • * Dryden
    • Fires eternal in thy temple shine.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=In a bid to understand the eternal mystery that is woman, Bart goes to the least qualified possible source for advice and counsel: his father, who remarkably seems to have made it to his mid-30s without quite figuring out much of anything. }}
  • (philosophy) existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly
  • (dated) Exceedingly great or bad; used as an intensifier.
    • some eternal villain

    Synonyms

    * permanent, sempiternal, endless, everlasting * (existing outside time) timeless, atemporal

    Antonyms

    * ephemeral * sempiternal

    Derived terms

    * eternal life * eternal recurrence * eternal return * eternal triangle * hope springs eternal

    Anagrams

    * English words suffixed with -al ----