11+ words for time and change

Words for when things happen and how they change: fleeting, dormant, procrastinate, ensue, inevitable. Many of them describe how long something lasts, from fleeting to constant.

There are 77 words here: 33 describing words, 30 doing words, 11 naming words and 3 others. Each has its meaning, an example sentence and similar words. Tap a word for its opposites and a practice question.

Describing words (adjectives)33

abrupt: Sudden and quick, often in a way that feels rude or unexpected.; The bus came to an abrupt stop, and everyone lurched forward in their seats.; Similar: sudden, sharp, hasty
ancient: Very old; from a long, long time ago.; We visited an ancient castle whose walls were built a thousand years ago.; Similar: old, aged
antique: Very old and often valuable.; The antique clock had been ticking in Granny's hallway for over a hundred years.; Similar: old, aged, ancient
constant: Happening all the time without stopping, or staying the same.; The constant drip of the leaking tap kept Ellie awake all night.; Similar: continual, endless, steady
contemporary: Belonging to the present time; modern.; The gallery displays contemporary art made in the last few years.; Similar: modern, current, present-day
customary: Done as a habit or tradition; usual.; It is customary in our house to have pancakes every Saturday morning.; Similar: usual, normal, traditional
disastrous: Causing great damage, trouble or failure.; The storm had a disastrous effect on the farmer's crops.; Similar: terrible, dreadful, ruinous
dormant: Not active now, as if asleep, but able to wake up later.; The volcano has been dormant for two hundred years, quietly sleeping beneath the green hills.; Similar: asleep, resting, still
drastic: Sudden and extreme, with a very big effect.; Cutting off all his hair was a drastic change, and even his mum walked straight past him.; Similar: extreme, severe, sudden
durable: Strong enough to last a long time without breaking.; These boots are so durable that Dad has worn them on rocky hikes for ten years.; Similar: strong, sturdy, tough
fatal: Causing death, or leading to complete failure.; Forgetting to water the seedlings for a week proved fatal, and every one of them withered.; Similar: deadly, lethal, ruinous
fleeting: Lasting only a very short time.; She caught a fleeting glimpse of the shooting star before it vanished into the dark.; Similar: brief, short, quick
frequent: Happening often.; We made frequent stops on the long car journey so the dog could stretch its legs.; Similar: regular, common, repeated
imminent: About to happen very soon.; Dark clouds and rumbling thunder warned that a storm was imminent.; Similar: coming, near, close
inaugural: Marking the start of something important, or being the very first of its kind.; A brass band led the inaugural crossing of the new bridge.; Similar: first, opening, initial
incessant: Never stopping.; The incessant drip of the tap kept her awake all night long.; Similar: constant, endless, nonstop
inevitable: Certain to happen and impossible to avoid.; With the score at ten-nil, defeat seemed inevitable.; Similar: certain, sure, expected
liable: Likely to do or to suffer something.; Glass is liable to break if you drop it.; Similar: prone, apt, inclined
makeshift: Made quickly from whatever is available, to use for a short time.; We built a makeshift tent from two brooms and Gran's washing line.; Similar: temporary, improvised, rough
momentous: Very important because of its lasting effects.; Landing on the moon was a momentous event that the whole world remembers.; Similar: important, major, historic
monotonous: Boring because it never changes.; The monotonous hum of the fan nearly sent the whole class to sleep.; Similar: boring, dull, dreary
mundane: Ordinary, dull and nothing special.; After the space film, feeding the hamster felt terribly mundane.; Similar: ordinary, boring, dull
obsolete: No longer used because something newer has replaced it.; Dad's old phone is so obsolete that no shop sells chargers for it any more.; Similar: outdated, old-fashioned
overdue: Later than it should be.; The library book was three weeks overdue, so Dad had to pay a small fine.; Similar: late, delayed, behind
potential: Possible in the future, though not happening yet.; The scout spotted a potential striker in the under-elevens.; Similar: possible, future, promising
previous: Coming before the one you are talking about.; In the previous chapter, the dog had only just been found.; Similar: earlier, former, past
primitive: Very simple and from an early time, without modern comforts.; The explorers slept in a primitive hut with no lights, no taps and a bare earth floor.; Similar: basic, simple, early
prompt: Quick and without delay.; Her prompt reply arrived just minutes after I sent the invitation.; Similar: quick, swift, speedy
punctual: Arriving or doing things exactly on time.; Mr Byrne was so punctual that you could set your watch by the moment he opened the classroom door.; Similar: prompt, timely
tardy: Late, or slower than expected.; The tardy bus finally wheezed round the corner twenty minutes after it was due.; Similar: late, slow, delayed
tedious: Boring because it goes on too long and never changes.; Copying out the whole dictionary page felt like the most tedious job in the world.; Similar: boring, dull, dreary
ultimate: Final, or the greatest of all.; Reaching the moon was the ultimate goal of the whole space programme.; Similar: final, last, greatest
urgent: So important that it must be dealt with straight away.; The vet received an urgent call about a lamb stuck in the fence.; Similar: pressing, immediate

Doing words (verbs)30

abolish: To officially get rid of something completely, such as a rule or law.; The new head teacher decided to abolish the old rule about lining up in silence, and the whole school cheered.; Similar: end, scrap, cancel
accustom: To get yourself used to something new.; It took the kitten a few days to accustom itself to its new home.; Similar: familiarise, adjust
amend: To change something slightly to make it better or correct.; The teacher asked Leo to amend his story by fixing the spelling mistakes on the first page.; Similar: change, fix, improve
cease: To stop happening or stop doing something.; At last the rain ceased, and a rainbow arched over the wet rooftops.; Similar: stop, end, finish
commence: To begin or start.; 'Let the games commence!' roared the announcer as the whistle blew.; Similar: begin, start, open
conclude: To bring something to an end, or to decide something after thinking about it.; The concert will conclude with fireworks over the lake.; Similar: end, finish, decide
convert: To change something into something else.; We plan to convert the old shed into a den.; Similar: change, transform, alter
corrode: To slowly eat away at metal or other material.; Years of salty sea air had corroded the old anchor until it crumbled with rust.; Similar: rust, erode
ebb: To slowly get weaker or drain away, like the tide going out.; As the long afternoon wore on, Tom's energy began to ebb, and his eyelids drooped.; Similar: fade, shrink, weaken
elapse: To go by or pass, used when talking about time.; Three whole hours elapsed before the rescue boat finally appeared on the horizon.; Similar: pass, go, slip
endure: To put up with something difficult for a long time.; The shipwrecked sailors endured weeks of hunger and cold before rescue finally came.; Similar: bear, tolerate, suffer
ensue: To happen straight after something else, often because of it.; Someone shouted 'Snow day!' and total chaos ensued in the classroom.; Similar: follow, result, happen
evolve: To change and develop slowly over time.; Over the year, their tiny lemonade stand evolved into a proper little shop.; Similar: develop, change, grow
inaugurate: To open or start something officially with a ceremony.; The mayor will inaugurate the new swimming pool by cutting a red ribbon.; Similar: open, launch, begin
linger: To stay somewhere longer than needed.; The smell of baking lingered in the kitchen long after the biscuits were gone.; Similar: loiter, dawdle, remain
originate: To start or come from a particular place or time.; Did you know that noodles originate from China, where people have eaten them for thousands of years?; Similar: begin, start, arise
perish: To die, or to be destroyed or ruined.; Without water, the flowers in the vase will soon perish.; Similar: die, wither, decay
prevail: To win in the end or to be the strongest.; The coach promised that hard work would prevail over luck by the end of the season.; Similar: win, triumph, succeed
procrastinate: To keep putting off something you should do now.; Instead of starting his project, Dev procrastinated by sharpening every pencil twice.; Similar: delay, stall, dawdle
prolong: To make something last longer.; Hoping to prolong the holiday feeling, Dad kept the fairy lights up until February.; Similar: extend, lengthen, stretch
promote: To move someone up to a more important position.; The manager decided to promote Kemi to head chef.; Similar: elevate, advance, upgrade
prosper: To do well and become successful or rich.; The little bakery prospered until there were queues out of the door every morning.; Similar: succeed, grow, bloom
reserve: To keep something back to use later, or to book it for someone.; Please reserve the front row of seats for the grandparents.; Similar: keep, save, book
restore: To bring something back to how it was before.; Volunteers worked hard to restore the old steam train.; Similar: repair, renew, revive
revive: To bring something back to life or strength.; A splash of cold water revived the wilting sunflower within an hour.; Similar: refresh, renew, wake
slumber: To sleep deeply and peacefully.; The bear slumbered through the whole winter as snow piled up outside its den.; Similar: sleep
suspend: To stop something for a while, or to hang something up.; Heavy rain forced the referee to suspend the match.; Similar: pause, halt, hang
thrive: To grow strong, healthy and successful.; The tomato plants thrived in the sunny corner, growing taller every day.; Similar: grow, bloom, blossom
transform: To change something completely.; A coat of paint and some fairy lights transformed the dusty shed into a cosy den.; Similar: change, alter, turn
wane: To become gradually smaller or weaker.; As the moon waned, the nights grew darker and darker.; Similar: shrink, fade, weaken

Naming words (nouns)11

antiquity: The distant past, especially the times of ancient Greece and Rome.; The museum is full of statues from antiquity.; Similar: past, history
calamity: A terrible event that causes great damage or sadness.; The storm was a calamity for the fishing village, wrecking boats and destroying dozens of homes.; Similar: disaster, catastrophe
keepsake: A small object you keep to remember a person or a special time.; Gran gave me her old brooch as a keepsake before we moved to Australia.; Similar: token, reminder, treasure
lapse: A short slip or failure, or a period of time passing.; In a lapse of concentration, the goalkeeper let the ball roll between his legs.; Similar: slip, error, fault
leisure: The free time you have for resting and enjoying yourself.; In her leisure time, Gran likes to knit and do crosswords.; Similar: relaxation, rest, recreation
lull: A quiet, calm break in noise or activity.; In a lull between the waves, they heard a seal barking off the rocks.; Similar: pause, break, calm
mishap: A small accident or piece of bad luck.; Apart from one mishap with a dropped ice cream, the trip went perfectly.; Similar: accident, slip, mistake
ordeal: A very difficult or unpleasant experience that goes on for some time.; Crossing the swamp in the dark was an ordeal none of the explorers wanted to repeat.; Similar: trial, struggle, nightmare
origin: The point where something begins or comes from.; Nobody knew the origin of the strange noise in the attic.; Similar: source, beginning, root
predicament: A tricky situation that is hard to get out of.; Stuck up the tree with the ladder lying flat on the grass, Tom realised his predicament.; Similar: trouble, mess, jam
upheaval: A sudden big change that causes trouble and confusion.; Moving house twice in one year was a huge upheaval for the whole family.; Similar: disruption, turmoil, chaos

Words that describe how (adverbs)1

seldom: Not very often.; Grandad seldom watches television; he would rather potter about in his greenhouse.; Similar: rarely

More words2

awry: Not going as planned; twisted to one side.; The picnic went awry when the wind flipped the blanket and rain soaked the sandwiches.; Similar: wrong, amiss, crooked
latter: Being the second of two things or people just mentioned.; We could go to the zoo or the beach, and I chose the latter because it was sunny.; Similar: second, last