: not living or lasting long
short-lived insects
short-lived joy

Examples of short-lived in a Sentence

the skier's triumph turned out to be short-lived, as the next competitor bested her time
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The celebration was short-lived, however, when the smallest of the whales, a yearling biologists had named Bone and Inuit had named Kanik (or Snowflake) disappeared beneath the ice for good. Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025 Unfortunately, like most WLW relationships on screen, their short-lived — but very real! Catherine Mhloyi, Them., 29 Oct. 2025 But that surge is to be short-lived. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025 Tua Tagovailoa’s revival will be short-lived against Baltimore’s no-longer-defenseless defense. Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for short-lived

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of short-lived was in 1588

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Cite this Entry

“Short-lived.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short-lived. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

short-lived

adjective
ˈshȯrt-ˈlīvd,
-ˌlivd
: living or lasting only a short time
short-lived blooms
short-lived joy

More from Merriam-Webster on short-lived

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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