Fleetingness Definition & Meaning

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

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 Unlike our old Keds that weren’t worth much after a season or two, many of today’s sneakers actually increase in value as initial supply is often limited and collaborations are fleeting and tough to get your hands on. — Jane Hanson, Forbes, 28 June 2022 Finally, the idea that anxiety is fleeting and harmless simply isn't true. — Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 22 May 2022 But as industry analysts warned at the time, the relief from the emergency oil releases was fleeting and relatively minor. — Matt Egan, CNN, 9 May 2022 But history has a way of revealing what was fleeting and what was truly prescient. — Courtney Sender, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2022 The stream of videos and images of the war in Ukraine reminds us that peace is fleeting and in need of constant effort to support it. — WSJ, 8 Mar. 2022 The encounters were fleeting and informal, and the two didn’t really keep in touch, Johnson recalled during a recent interview. — Courtney Astolfi, cleveland, 25 Feb. 2022 This type of fleeting interaction, underscored by the vanity metrics that track it, is built into the core UX. — Mike Donoghue, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2021 Any market recovery could prove fleeting, with central banks around the world bent on draining liquidity to combat runaway inflation. — Joanna Ossinger, BostonGlobe.com, 20 June 2022 See More

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.

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