ephemera

noun

ephem·​era i-ˈfe-mə-rə 

-ˈfem-rə

plural ephemera also ephemerae i-ˈfe-mə-rē 

-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

Examples of ephemera in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Those records are now asides and ephemera, not events. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025

Inside, the place is as decrepit as Julian, every corner cluttered with canvases, papers and enough dusty ephemera to warm the heart of any hoarder. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025

And though a health crisis is a valid subject for drama, the effect of this one is to make the fashion-world ephemera that fills up the rest of the movie seem even more inconsequential. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025

Across from the station is the Cooper Museum, a wunderkammer-style collection that spans everything from indigenous artifacts to local ephemera to pop culture items. —Liz Ohanesian, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek ephēmera, neuter plural of ephēmeros

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ephemera

• femora