-ˈfē-
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The Mayfly Helps to Illustrate Ephemeral
In its aquatic immature stages, the mayfly (order Ephemeroptera) has all the time in the world—or not quite: among the approximately 2,500 species of mayflies, some have as much as two years, but a year is more common. But in its adult phase, the typical mayfly hatches, takes wing for the first time, mates, and dies within the span of a few short hours. This briefest of heydays makes the insect a potent symbol of 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."
Examples of ephemeral in a Sentence
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
Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 June 2025
Episodes of natural selection are sometimes ephemeral, and evidence of them vanishes from our genomes when the selective pressures subside or when populations mix.
—Kermit Pattison, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
Build ephemeral content tools (think generative UX/design, chatbots, auto summaries, etc.) to allow readers to engage in personal ways.
—Dan Gardner, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The technique makes an ephemeral beauty eternal by flattening the daisies, pansies, violets, and wildflowers that color your garden and turning them into enchanting home decor.
—Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemeral
Cite this Entry
“Ephemeral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ephemeral. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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ephemeral
adjective
-ˈfēm-
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