fleeting

play

adjective fleet·ing \ ˈflē-tiŋ \

Definition of fleeting

:passing swiftly :transitory

… the often fleeting nature of fame and fortune …
—Tom Sinclair

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fleetingly

play \ˈflē-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

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fleetingness

noun

See fleeting defined for English-language learners

See fleeting defined for kids

Examples of fleeting in a Sentence

I caught a fleeting glimpse of the comet.
had a fleeting desire to jump into the cool lake but kept on hiking

Recent Examples of fleeting from the Web

Affleck now seems to represent all people as seen from a cosmic vantage point—a fleeting presence defined by its inability to make an impact on the universe as a whole.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Paranormal A Ghost Story is a haunting film about haunting," 14 July 2017
Dandong city is the main crossing point to North Korea, and every day hundreds of tourists embark on small boats for a cruise on the Yalu border river and a fleeting glimpse of another world.

— bill powell, MSNBC Newsweek, "Will Trump Stop the 10 Chinese Companies Supplying North Korea's Nuclear Program?," 13 July 2017
Suddenly the Trump - Xi tryst looks as fleeting as a Taylor Swift fling.

— clay chandler, Fortune, "A fine bromance: For Trump and China’s Xi, is Hamburg the end of the affair?," 8 July 2017
Or is the red, white, and blue tradition gone already, as fleeting in the pop culture firmament as a fireworks display?

— hilary weaver, Vanities, "Taylor Swift’s Dad Was the Only One Who Kept Her Fourth of July Tradition Alive," 5 July 2017
The summer job, like the season and its velvety nights, is temporary if not fleeting.

— Time, "Where Did America's Summer Jobs Go?," 29 June 2017
Each time another fleeting internet celebrity bubbled to the surface, and was found to have a problematic history, the phenomenon was rejoined.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "A Conversation with the Guy Who Invented the Milkshake Duck Meme," 24 June 2017
Presidents prefer memorials to their lasting accomplishments, not their most fleeting.

— peter baker, New York Times, "Can Trump Destroy Obama’s Legacy?," 23 June 2017
But after a very fleeting rally, prices have nose-dived.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Yes, California's got cheap gasoline — under $3," 21 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fleeting.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of fleeting

1563

fleeting Synonyms

Synonyms

brief, deciduous, ephemeral, evanescent, flash, momentary, fugacious, fugitive, impermanent, passing, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitory

Antonyms

ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, lasting, long-lived, permanent, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending

Related Words

little, short, shortish; acting, interim, provisional, short-term

Near Antonyms

lifelong; continuing, durable, persistent; imperishable, indefectible, indestructible

Synonym Discussion of fleeting

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.