fleeting

1 of 2

adjective

fleet·​ing ˈflē-tiŋ 

: passing swiftly : transitory

… the often fleeting nature of fame and fortune …

—Tom Sinclair

fleetingly

ˈflē-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

fleetingness noun

fleeting

2 of 2

present participle of fleet entry 3

Synonyms of fleeting

Adjective

• flash
• brief
• temporary
• transient
• passing
• transitory
• ephemeral
• momentary
• evanescent

Choose the Right Synonym for 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.

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

Examples of fleeting in a Sentence

Adjective

I caught a fleeting glimpse of the comet.

had a fleeting desire to jump into the cool lake but kept on hiking

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The fleeting time in Georgia between the sweltering summer heat and damp winter chill has finally arrived, featuring cool mornings, warm evenings and trees dappled with orange leaves. — Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Muons last a mere 2 microseconds, and other species are even more fleeting. — George Musser, Quanta Magazine, 2 Nov. 2026

In a world ruled by scroll, click and pay, the design industry has been exploring new ways to engage and capture the fleeting attention of younger generations thirsty for a new point of view. — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2026

Johnson, 37, is an exacting multi-instrumentalist with an appetite for intricacy, one who can hear the structural possibilities in a fleeting phrase, or recognize how a strange rhythm might transform a composition. — Marcus J. Moore, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fleeting

• beating
• bleating
• cheating
• eating
• greeting
• heating
• meeting
• seating
• sheeting
• sweeting
• treating
• accreting

Kids Definition

fleeting

adjective

fleet·​ing

ˈflēt-iŋ

: not lasting : passing swiftly

a fleeting glimpse