transitional
adjective
tran·si·tion·al
tran(t)-ˈsi-sh(ə-)nəl 
tran(t)-ˈsi-zh(ə-)nəl,
tran-ˈzi-sh(ə-)nəl
: 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
JoAnn ShroyerThe social worlds of neighborhood and village are now less important as transitional zones between home and nonhome settings.—Theano S. Terkenli
Theano S. Terkenli… turning into a civilian coup, that … established a transitional government and prepared the way for multi-party elections.—Larry Diamond
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
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
Edgar L. Feige
Examples of transitional in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After a transitional second week from the south-west to eastern France, the race culminates in a celebration of the Vosges, the Jura, and the Alps.
—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, was a major transitional moment for the singer.
—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
1 July 2026
Fragments of email correspondence appear alongside bits of dialogue, histories of apocalyptic movements in Korea, and poems about the nature of time and the Bardo (the Tibetan Buddhist concept for the transitional period between death and rebirth).
—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
30 June 2026
Anagen is followed by a brief transitional phase called catagen, during which the follicle regresses and severs its connection to its blood supply.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for transitional
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Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
1 July 2026
Swift's fifth studio album, 1989, was a major transitional moment for the singer.
—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
1 July 2026
Fragments of email correspondence appear alongside bits of dialogue, histories of apocalyptic movements in Korea, and poems about the nature of time and the Bardo (the Tibetan Buddhist concept for the transitional period between death and rebirth).
—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
30 June 2026
Anagen is followed by a brief transitional phase called catagen, during which the follicle regresses and severs its connection to its blood supply.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for transitional
Cite this Entry
“Transitional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transitional. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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