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Word for a statement which would not be true in the future?

English Language & Usage Asked on August 12, 2021

I am trying to explain to somebody why the statement “technology A will soon replace technology B” is not a good idea to write in a book.

The reason I want to provide is that, in a few years time, indeed technology A might have replaced technology B, in which case the statement “will soon replace” will not be true anymore.

I am searching for a single word or a short phrase to describe statements like this, which are currently true but will not be true in the future.


Example

This is another example of a ________ statement, since you would need to update it in a few years’ time.


Research

I have tried to use a search engine to find a suitable word, and to think of something myself, but without much success.

The best I could come up with is “non-future-proof”, which is vague and also describes what these statements are not instead of what they are. Another word is “short-lived”, but I find it a bit too general.


Similar Question

Word for something that can be obsolete in the future, obsolete-able sounds similar, but there is a significant distinction.

The definition of obsolete, according to Oxford Languages, is

no longer produced or used

A statement like this does not become “obsolete”, as in “no longer produced or used”. Instead, it becomes no longer true.

3 Answers

This is another example of a time-sensitive statement, since you would need to update it in a few years.

time-sensitive

  1. only relevant or applicable for a short period of time

Most secrets are time-sensitive and cease to be of interest to anyone but historians 20 or 30 years later. Collins

Truths are time-sensitive. They equate to our now. A truth for us today, may not hold as true for us in five years. And the fact that it was a truth five years ago and isn't now, doesn't mean it was any less true then. Into Your Meditation (2016)

You see, God's word is not time-sensitive, meaning the truth of God's word is not affected by deadlines, or the lack thereof. 50 Days of Faith for Entrepreneurs p.55

Correct answer by DjinTonic on August 12, 2021

I like one of Greybeard's suggestions in the comments:

This is a statement which is true only transitorily.

Here transitory means 'tending to pass away: not persistent'.

Answered by linguisticturn on August 12, 2021

Situational

This is another example of a situational statement, since you would need to update it in a few years’ time.

See:

situation noun

5 a : relative position or combination of circumstances at a certain moment

Source: Merriam-Webster — situation

The adjective situational means relating to a relative position or combination of circumstances at a certain moment.

“That was then — this is now.”

Of course, this does not mean that the situational statement definitely won’t be true in the future — only that it might not be.

Answered by Tinfoil Hat on August 12, 2021

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