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 : items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) originally meant to be discarded after use but that later become collectibles

Examples of ephemera in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet, even correcting for the culture’s insatiable thirst for Beatles ephemera, or that the interview will be forever shrouded in grief because of its tragic timing, this particular facet of the group’s history hardly demands a cinematic treatment. —Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 15 May 2026

Arthur Jafa and Richard Prince excavating aesthetics and the American psyche with fifty-plus works appropriating, inverting, and referencing pop cultural ephemera from movies to social media posts. —Erica Firpo, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026

The writing of the book has been a soulful examination, a symbolic unearthing of certain memories and stories that Mercado might understand as a labor necessary to capture the fullness of a history, the ephemera and evidence of, in this case, a love story. —Literary Hub, 12 May 2026

The collection includes handwritten lyrics, personal letters, photographs, books and other ephemera, many of which haven’t been shown publicly. —Spin Staff, SPIN, 7 May 2026

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