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