ephemeral

adjective ephem·er·al \ i-ˈfem-rəl , -ˈfēm- ; -ˈfe-mə- , -ˈfē- \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of ephemeral

1 : lasting a very short time

ephemeral pleasures

2 : lasting one day only

an ephemeral fever

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ephemerally

play \i-ˈfem-rə-lē, -ˈfēm-; -ˈfe-mə-, -ˈfē-\ adverb

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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

The ephemeral-messaging debacle is not the only time in recent weeks that Facebook appears to have not completely thought through how a well-intentioned, but quickly rolled-out, feature might impact its user base.

— louise matsakis, WIRED, "Facebook Messenger's 'Unsend' Feature Is What Happens When You Scramble," 6 Apr. 2018
The core magic of the sakura is the fleeting, ephemeral quality of their peak.

— Washington Post, "To compete with Japan’s cherry blossom bacchanal, D.C. needs to step up its game. Big time.," 2 Apr. 2018
Thanks to the dark magic of social media, her tears of unfathomable sadness turned an ephemeral television moment into an everlasting NCAA tournament memory.

— chris chase, For The Win, "The 15 best characters, memes and bawling adults from NCAA tournament history," 2 Apr. 2018
As Vox’s Dylan Matthews notes, the polling shifts immediately after school shootings have traditionally been ephemeral.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "The Parkland Teens Are Winning the Culture War," 31 Mar. 2018
The losses from protectionism will be vast and certain, the gains ephemeral.

— phil gramm and, WSJ, "Trump, Tariffs and the Protectionist Temptation," 23 Mar. 2018
Instant Apps streams the actual app code to a device and runs it in an ephemeral sandbox.

— ron amadeo, Ars Technica, "The Play Store gets a “try now” button for games, no install required," 20 Mar. 2018
The point, then, is that the sense of democratic crisis that permeates today’s politics may eventually prove ephemeral.

— zack beauchamp, Vox, "Putin’s landslide election makes it seem like Russia is stable. Don’t be fooled.," 19 Mar. 2018
Investor interest in Ford has sagged over legitimate concern that the company’s current job—building cars—might be neglected in its rush toward ephemeral, techy pursuits.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "Ford’s Future Lineup Laid Bare: Here’s What We Know (Including Bronco, GT500, and More!)," 15 Mar. 2018

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

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First Known Use: 1576

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ephemeral Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of ephemeral

transient, transitory, ephemeral, momentary, fugitive, fleeting, evanescent mean lasting or staying only a short time. transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.