momentary

1 of 2

adjective

mo·​men·​tary ˈmō-mən-ˌter-ē 

1

a

: continuing only a moment : fleeting

a momentary pause

b

: having a very brief life

2

: operative or recurring at every moment

momentariness noun

momentariness

2 of 2

noun

mo·​men·​tar·​i·​ness

ˈmōmən‧ˌterēnə̇s

plural -es

: the quality or state of being momentary

the freshness and momentariness of intense life

—C. E. Montague

Synonyms of momentary

Adjective

• flash
• brief
• temporary
• transient
• passing
• fleeting

Choose the Right Synonym for momentary

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 momentary in a Sentence

Adjective

He experienced a momentary loss of consciousness.

the pain of the flu shot was only momentary

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Suddenly the familiar faces of morning television, already struggling to make sense of the first crash, went wide-eyed and silent in momentary shock. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Netizens were quick to joke about out the unusual outage affecting almost every major AI chatbot service, describing a momentary glimpse of lucidity for a society obsessed with a tech that’s deteriorating our cognitive abilities. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026

The new findings indicate that last year’s increases were a momentary surge, rather than the beginning of a positive trend. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

This woman reportedly had already been receiving unwanted and threatening messages, and investigators concluded that Zhou’s AI conversations showed something more than a momentary angry outburst. — Matthew T. Christ, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for momentary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

Kids Definition

momentary

adjective

mo·​men·​tary ˈmō-mən-ˌter-ē 

: lasting only a moment