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
Betty Boop is just one of several characters, books, recordings and ephemera entering the public domain January 1, 2026.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
For the most part, the resource library is centered on Japanese ephemera, more focused on design than fashion — there are books on typography, photography, textiles, and ceramics along with architecture magazines, museum-exhibition catalogues, and advertising manuals.
—Emma Orlow, Curbed, 19 Dec. 2025
As a classics student at Harvard, Thoreau was no doubt familiar with the ancient Roman ephemera of Ptolemy—charts tracking the movement of astronomical objects over time.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
These ornaments were handmade by an artist named Inez Mortensen, who used vintage paper and other ephemera.
—Tamara Shopsin, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 Jan. 2026
For the most part, the resource library is centered on Japanese ephemera, more focused on design than fashion — there are books on typography, photography, textiles, and ceramics along with architecture magazines, museum-exhibition catalogues, and advertising manuals.
—Emma Orlow, Curbed, 19 Dec. 2025
As a classics student at Harvard, Thoreau was no doubt familiar with the ancient Roman ephemera of Ptolemy—charts tracking the movement of astronomical objects over time.
—Literary Hub, 17 Dec. 2025
These ornaments were handmade by an artist named Inez Mortensen, who used vintage paper and other ephemera.
—Tamara Shopsin, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ephemera
Noun
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Click up to Sport or Race mode (available selections also include Wet, Comfort, and ESC Off), and suddenly the continent-crosser morphs into a high-strung canyon carver, one with enough punch to hang with more-muscular exotics.—
Jonny Lieberman,
Robb Report,
17 Jan. 2026
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These results further reinforced the depth of demand across both European exotics and culturally significant collector cars.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But if Yquem’s reputation and rarity keeps it among the world’s most expensive wines for only celebratory occasions, the availability and modest price of so many other great Sauternes allows anyone to enjoy them with friends throughout the year.—
John Mariani,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Homegrown rarities Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester headlined the ‘13 champions, but Boston’s most recent World Series squad in 2018 boasted a dazzling, but entirely outside rotation.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Other items will also be available, such as jewelry, curios, knick-knacks, puzzles and more.—
Andrea Manes,
Oc Register,
15 Jan. 2026
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The result is a faintly comic curio that hurtles along without much impact.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ephemera. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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