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
Vintage photographs and very old paper ephemera are highly valued in collage and scrapbooking communities.
—
Ashley Poskin, Martha Stewart, 8 Jan. 2026
The most satisfying moments come when all the chaotic ephemera disperses to make space for shimmering, ambient chords.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
This exhibition of photographs, ephemera and historical film footage will highlight the key moments in the history of the museum.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Ashley Poskin, Martha Stewart, 8 Jan. 2026
The most satisfying moments come when all the chaotic ephemera disperses to make space for shimmering, ambient chords.
—H.d. Angel, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
This exhibition of photographs, ephemera and historical film footage will highlight the key moments in the history of the museum.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
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
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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There's zero snowmaking—a rarity in Colorado.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Feb. 2026
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The 10a’s completely flat back is a rarity among smartphones, most of which have substantial protrusions that house their camera optics, causing those devices to wobble when placed on a table.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The curio cabinets are empty of their curiosities.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2026
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Instead, this reboot might be misremembered as a direct-to-video curio — or rediscovered as a bad cult object destined to give some idiot cinephile alcohol poisoning.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ephemera. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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