Synonyms for passing
- adjective
- noun
Most common
transitory transient fleeting momentary cursory perfunctory intense
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Transitory — that passes away; ephemeral
transitory, transient, fleeting, momentary, flying, instant, short-lived, temporary, ephemeral, quick, brief, fugitive, flitting, impermanent, perishable, transitive, deciduous, fugacious rare, volatile dated, seasonable dated
2. Cursory
Noun
1. Exit — death, dying; the end of something
exit, going, death, loss, expiration, demise, departure, release, doom, decease, quietus dated
Other
Definitions
- adj. 1
That passes away; ephemeral.
- adj. 2
Pre-eminent, excellent, extreme.
- adj. 3
Vague, cursory.
to make a passing comment
- n. 1
Death, dying; the end of something.
Related words
Forms
- Plural
- passings → exits, goings, deaths, losses…
Example sentences
- flying It is difficult to shoot a bird flying in the air.
- fleeting At the age of 84, I dreamed about a fleeting love.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| passing | steady | |
| flying | rising | |
| fleeting | rising | |
| flitting | rising | |
| wayfaring | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- loss1, exit2, doom1
- 5 letters
- going2, death1, quick1, brief1
- 6 letters
- flying2, casual3, demise2
- 7 letters
- release2, intense2, instant2, passage2, maximal3, cursory3, decease2, quietus
- 8 letters
- volatile3, fugitive3, fleeting2, flitting2
- 9 letters
- temporary4, departure3, transient2, momentary4, ephemeral4, deciduous4, uttermost, wayfaring, fugacious, incessive
- 10 letters
- qualifying4, expiration4, overtaking4, perishable4, transitive, transitory4, seasonable4
- 11 letters
- superficial4, perfunctory4, impermanent
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (exit2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- passager
- Italiano
- passeggero
- Español
- pasajero
- Deutsch
- vorübergehend
- Català
- passatger