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Definition of ephemeral
1 : lasting one day only an ephemeral fever
2 : lasting a very short time ephemeral pleasures
From the M-W Editors
ephemeral was our Word of the Day on 02/21/2013. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of ephemeral in a Sentence
… several rather inflated pages of material about an ephemeral love affair Fitzgerald allegedly had with an English woman named Bijou … —Joyce Carol Oates, Times Literary Supplement, 5 Jan. 1996
As a consequence North Africa was easily reconquered by the Byzantine emperor in the 530s, and the Vandals' influence on North African development was ephemeral and negligible. —Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993
This accounts for the peculiar sense most observers have that the ephemeral, sensationalist, polymorphous, magpie popular culture of the United States is at bottom remarkably conservative … —Louis Menand, Harper's, March 1993
the autumnal blaze of colors is always to be treasured, all the more so because it is so ephemeral
Recent Examples of ephemeral from the Web
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The ardent dogmatism of 1917 seems almost unimaginable today; politics are flickering and ephemeral, menacing but ridiculous.
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This spot in the Utah desert was once an ephemeral pond that came and went as the Jurassic seasons shifted from wet to dry.
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And though Instagram changed how ephemeral the videos are by allowing us to save them back in March, there was still no easy way to recirculate the video to your followers.
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Note: While this list considers the traditional core dining metrics (food, service, value and atmosphere) of the best restaurants, great weight is placed on an ephemeral quality that the entertainment industry treasures: the buzz factor.
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But why put in even the minimal effort necessary to stand out in an ephemeral job?
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The no-photo rule also keeps the art ephemeral, just like Die Dixons intended.
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Like any great cult classic, Phantom Dust’s a bit ephemeral—part third-person shooter, part collectible card game, part action-RPG.
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But the anticipated reward of an operation must be very high when the risk of American casualties is so severe, and when the long-term consequences are ephemeral.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ephemeral'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Mayfly Helps To Illustrate ephemeral
The mayfly (order Ephemeroptera) typically hatches, matures, mates, and dies within the span of a few short hours (though the longest-lived species may survive a record two days); poets sometimes use this insect to symbolize life's ephemeral nature. When "ephemeral" (from the Greek word ephēmeros, meaning "lasting a day") first appeared in print in English in the late 16th century, it was a scientific term applied to short-term fevers, and later, to organisms (such as insects and flowers) with very short life spans. Soon after that, it acquired an extended sense referring to anything fleeting and short-lived (as in "ephemeral pleasures").
Origin and Etymology of ephemeral
Greek ephēmeros lasting a day, daily, from epi- + hēmera day
Synonym Discussion of ephemeral
Definition of ephemeral
: something that lasts for a very short time : something ephemeral; specifically : a plant that grows, flowers, and dies in a few days
Recent Examples of ephemeral from the Web
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Spring ephemerals bloom before tree leaves block the sunlight from reaching the forest floor.
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Like all spring ephemerals, the clock is always ticking for the wood anemone.
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The timing of this fleeting wildflower, as with other spring ephemerals, is critical to the balance of the ecosystem.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ephemeral'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of ephemeral
see 1ephemeral
Other Botany Terms
EPHEMERAL Defined for English Language Learners
ephemeral
playDefinition of ephemeral for English Language Learners
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: lasting a very short time
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about ephemeral
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ephemeral Spanish Central: Translation of ephemeral Nglish: Translation of ephemeral for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ephemeral for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ephemeral
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