Impermanently

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Lacking longevity and stability, something may change quickly due to its transient nature, indicating a situation that is not fixed or enduring
2. A state of being that is designed to be short-lived and is at risk of alteration or discontinuation reflects a sense of fleetingness
3. In a way that does not last permanently and is subject to change or end at any time

Etymology: "Impermanently" is a plain formation: the adjective "impermanent" with the adverb suffix "-ly" added to the end. The adjective itself combines the negating prefix "im-" with "permanent," so the word stacks a negation on top of a notion of lastingness, then adds a suffix that turns a quality into a manner of acting or being. The suffix has a long ancestry. It descends from a Proto-Germanic element meaning "body" or "form" (in the sense of appearance or shape), which gave Old English "-līc," later reduced to "-ly" in Middle English. Because the suffix originally meant something like "having the form of," the same ending now marks adverbs across English, turning "permanent" into "permanently" and "impermanent" into "impermanently."

Synonyms: temporarily, briefly, transiently, momentarily, for a short time

Antonyms: permanently, forever, always, enduringly, constantly