as in curiosa
things that are important or useful for only a short time; items that were not meant to have lasting value
—usually plural
He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.
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Recent Examples of ephemera
His winning project resembles a scrapbook in its inclusion of such ephemera as handwritten notes and family snapshots, placed along photos by Sobekwa.
—
News Desk, Artforum, 19 May 2025
This poignant and revelatory ephemera from Quintana’s life is among the 240 linear feet of joint archives of her writer parents, Didion and John Gregory Dunne, now available for viewing at the New York Public Library.
—Lauren Christensen, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Billy Possum lived on during Taft’s presidency in songs and postcards—ephemera that did not depend on a child’s affection—and even made a brief return to politics.
—Howard Dorre, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
The tour of the Zorn House interior reveals all sorts of surprises, including the Great Room that’s decorated with ephemera from his around-the-world travels, including a cabinet with Etrusian artifacts.
—Jeanine Barone, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
News Desk, Artforum, 19 May 2025
This poignant and revelatory ephemera from Quintana’s life is among the 240 linear feet of joint archives of her writer parents, Didion and John Gregory Dunne, now available for viewing at the New York Public Library.
—Lauren Christensen, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Billy Possum lived on during Taft’s presidency in songs and postcards—ephemera that did not depend on a child’s affection—and even made a brief return to politics.
—Howard Dorre, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
The tour of the Zorn House interior reveals all sorts of surprises, including the Great Room that’s decorated with ephemera from his around-the-world travels, including a cabinet with Etrusian artifacts.
—Jeanine Barone, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ephemera
Noun
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Longshots like Just Steel and Deposition may lack big wins, but Aaron advises not to overlook them in exotics.—
Jared Welch,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Local and regional car clubs showcase more than 300 rare vehicles, from early collectibles to the latest exotics.—
Laura Daily,
Denver Post,
4 June 2025
Noun
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But there’s much more to the apartment than a mere accumulation of objets de vertu.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
21 Jan. 2025
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Crawford is an inveterate collector, a hunter-gatherer par excellence, and her home is a testament to decades spent amassing oddities and objets de vertu of every stripe.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
28 June 2024
Noun
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This long voyage, together with the rarity and beauty of sapphires, must have contributed to its high value.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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Despite the relative rarity of myocarditis, the condition has underpinned a campaign by anti-vaccine activists to take the vaccines off the market.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Wes Anderson's latest curio, The Phoenician Scheme, held strong in its second week of release to score the No. 6 spot with a $6.2 million take.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
8 June 2025
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Trapped: Mind-Altering Shorts Date & Venue TBA Tap into the collective unconscious of a rogue’s gallery of grifters, hermits, and sociopaths with our infamous showcase of gloriously confounding cinematic curios.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ephemera. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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