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

Examples of short-lived in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web However, the sitcom was short-lived and concluded after one season. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 While Wintour’s shopgirl life was short-lived, Big Biba’s staff were a vital component of the experience remembered Thomas. Zoe Whitfield, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 But that effect is short-lived, and within days or weeks, pollen counts could shoot up as the plants benefit from the rain. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024 Even that drama was short-lived, as Amy’s father just wanted his little girl to be happy. Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2024 Though Barbarie was short-lived, the duo opened a series of similarly fugitive clubs, including Barbie, Vena Arteria, Transilvania, and Kaliman. Beverly Bryan, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2024 The lead would be short-lived as Brown went on a personal 13-5 scoring run to put the Dukes up 30-23 with 6:14 remaining in the first half. Mike Harley, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2024 Their meet-cute is a charmed encounter whose romance is emphasized by a dreamy aesthetic and editing style; the affair is short-lived because of a surprising but poorly revealed twist. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 The cooldown will be short-lived as temperatures climb back into the 50s by Monday and then the 60s by Tuesday. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'short-lived.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near short-lived

Cite this Entry

“Short-lived.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short-lived. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

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