ephemera

noun ephem·era \ i-ˈfe-mər-ə , -ˈfem-rə \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of ephemera

plural ephemera also ephemerae play \i-ˈfe-mər-ē, -ˈfem-rē\ or ephemeras

1 : something of no lasting significance —usually used in plural

2 ephemera plural : paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles

See ephemera defined for English-language learners

Examples of ephemera in a Sentence

He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.

Recent Examples of ephemera from the Web

Laura Dern, Witherspoon’s Wild co-star and good friend, uses her Instagram in the same sort of manner: a mix of day-to-day ephemera (a martini glass, Jurassic Park socks!) with project or advocacy-related content.

— josh duboff, Vanities, "Why Nicole Kidman’s Instagram Marks a New Era in Stardom," 6 Apr. 2018
The collection consists of correspondence, blueprints, designs, set photos, memorabilia and other ephemera.

— matt wake, AL.com, "Alabama's huge connection to '2001: A Space Odyssey'," 3 Apr. 2018
The store has dealt in comic books, paraphernalia, and ephemera for 25 years, and its in-house theater was the birthplace of Chris Hardwick‘s Nerdist empire and the standup showcase The Meltdown With Jonah and Kumail.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Here Are the 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 22 Mar. 2018
As director of the Amistad Center, Mitchell oversees a collection of African-American art, documents and ephemera that the Wadsworth purchased from a private collector 30 years ago.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "Frank Mitchell Helps People Hold Difficult Conversations About Race, Culture And Equity," 22 Mar. 2018
There was a strange bit of Hollywood ephemera in this weekend’s box-office numbers.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Lesson Hollywood Should Learn From Love, Simon," 19 Mar. 2018
In the wait for self-driving technology, cell-phone toting tech bros may have to cede their spot in line to pizzas, Craigslist couches and the mounting ephemera of e-commerce.

— keith naughton and kyle stock, chicagotribune.com, "Robot rides are going to deliver pizza and parcels before people," 19 Mar. 2018
What’s Good is a weekly column collecting TV, music, movies, and miscellaneous cultural ephemera worthy of your time.

— allison p. davis, The Cut, "Are You Emotionally Prepared for This Episode of Queer Eye?," 23 Feb. 2018
Memory has long been considered a biological enigma, a medley of mental ephemera that has some basis in material existence.

— gretchen reynolds, New York Times, "How Exercise May Help the Memory Grow Stronger," 21 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ephemera.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.