Definition of EPHEMERAL

Choose the Right Synonym for ephemeral

Adjective

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. a hotel catering primarily to transient guests transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end. fame in the movies is transitory ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration. many slang words are ephemeral momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state. my feelings of guilt were only momentary fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult. let a fugitive smile flit across his face fleeting moments of joy evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality. the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

The Mayfly Helps to Illustrate Ephemeral

Adjective

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").

Examples of ephemeral in a Sentence

Adjective … 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 on the Web: Adjective And while most seasonal delights come from the garden, holiday pastries are equally ephemeral—and even more evocative. — Ruth Reichl, Town & Country, "These Delicious Christmas Pastries Rely on More Than Nostalgia," 6 Dec. 2019 According to the somewhat ephemeral and often arbitrary coolness hierarchy of dance music, popularity is corrosive to authenticity, especially the further removed the music itself is from the genre’s Chicago, Detroit, or New York roots. — Zel Mccarthy, Billboard, "Batten Down the Hatches: Darude's 'Sandstorm' Just Turned 20," 30 Oct. 2019 That speaks to the ephemeral nature of the public art on Fabrication Street. — Dianne Solis, Dallas News, "An artists’ community crops up around Dallas’ unofficial graffiti park, and the neighborhood wants to keep them both," 10 Jan. 2020 Equally, chic and audacious describe the renderings of the ephemeral boutique Chanel built to kick off ski season in the famously fashionable Colorado town of Aspen. — Joyann King, Harper's BAZAAR, "Madelynn & Megan Get Après-Chic at Chanel in Aspen," 23 Dec. 2019 Now, Instagram -- like so much of the social media industry -- is focusing on ephemeral posts, experimenting with 15-second music videos and offering options to share privately rather than just publicly. — Kaya Yurieff, CNN, "From Instagram to TikTok: How social media evolved this decade," 19 Dec. 2019 Keeper, whose machinations and pronouncements provide much of the conflict in this ephemeral and wildly idiosyncratic play, is very hard to comprehend. — Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Review: For Steppenwolf’s 'Lindiwe,’ the story should be Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Instead it goes somewhere strange.," 17 Nov. 2019 Some platforms capitalized on this, like Snap, which popularized the private and ephemeral. — Arielle Pardes, Wired, "Public Blast or Private Chat? Social Media Maps a Middle Way," 11 Jan. 2020 In this slim novel, where sometimes a few words constitute a chapter, Didion gives shape to ghosts, the ghastly, and the ephemeral. — Hilton Als, The New Yorker, "Joan Didion’s Early Novels of American Womanhood," 25 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun There isn’t a growing season for native plants, although ephemerals bloom and die in a few days and others flower even when there’s snow on the ground. — Hattie Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Cool down this summer in these magical gardens," 5 July 2018 Early-blooming wildflowers called spring ephemerals – such as spring beauty, yellow trout lily, marsh marigold, and more – pop up in fields and woods across Northeast Ohio during early spring. — cleveland.com, "Medina County Park District Wildflower Challenge ends June 1 (photos, video)," 8 May 2017 Spring ephemerals bloom before tree leaves block the sunlight from reaching the forest floor. — cleveland.com, "Medina County Park District Wildflower Challenge ends June 1 (photos, video)," 8 May 2017 Like all spring ephemerals, the clock is always ticking for the wood anemone. — Dave Taft, New York Times, "On Forest Floors, Wood Anemone Provides a Burst of Spring," 26 Apr. 2017 The timing of this fleeting wildflower, as with other spring ephemerals, is critical to the balance of the ecosystem. — National Geographic, "These Animals Live in the Most Powerful City in the World," 24 Apr. 2016

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.