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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of ephemera
History Colorado, the state’s largest historical institution, confirmed this week that Barber has donated his massive collection of neon signs, matchbooks and menus, photographs, letters, and other ephemera from Colfax Avenue’s long, diverse history.
—
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
The contradictory nature of life’s ephemera—is this not the golden goose of fiction writing?
—Eric Olson
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
This elusiveness is all the more alluring given that twenty-second-century researchers have access to a mountain of detail—the ephemera of our digital lives, preserved in Nigerian data centers.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Accessories included snap coin purse necklaces and clutches as well as dangling earrings made of small (real) books — a reference to the boxes of books and other ephemera residents leave out on stoops to pass along.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025
The contradictory nature of life’s ephemera—is this not the golden goose of fiction writing?
—Eric Olson
september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
This elusiveness is all the more alluring given that twenty-second-century researchers have access to a mountain of detail—the ephemera of our digital lives, preserved in Nigerian data centers.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Accessories included snap coin purse necklaces and clutches as well as dangling earrings made of small (real) books — a reference to the boxes of books and other ephemera residents leave out on stoops to pass along.
—Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ephemera
Noun
-
Native to Brazil and other South American and Central American countries, colorful peacock bass were stocked in South Florida canals in the mid-1980s by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to control the population of undesirable exotics like tilapia.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
-
European exotics were also present.—
Keenan Thompson,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The rarity of the mechanism means that legal and political challenges would be expected, and the fallout could reshape city and state politics.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The hotel honors its commitment to sustainability with an organic garden that provides fresh ingredients for the restaurant—a rarity on the island, where logistics make fresh produce difficult to come by.—
Carla Vianna,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Each video, on its own, is a digital curio, the value of which drops to zero after the initial view.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Made in Ancient Egypt, which opened this month at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, features commemorative stela, golden coffins and masks, and sundry curios created in a style that changed very little down the centuries.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ephemera. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share