Ephemeral
Lasting for only a short time; short-lived.
adjectiveEphemeral
Lasting for only a short time; short-lived.
adjectiveImagine This
A young boy learned the moral behind the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare as his grandmother read it to him, but after a few days he forgot it. In the Bible, Paul constantly wrote to the Ephesians to remind them to keep their faith in God and not to let their good morals be short-lived.
Sounds Like
eh-FEM-Ιr-Ιl
Looks Like
Ephemeral resembles related terms such as ephemera (things that exist only briefly) and ends with -eral.
Remember This
From Greek ephemeros meaning lasting only a day; related words include ephemera, ephemeris.
Other Forms
Connect With
fleeting, transient, transitory, momentary, evanescent
Note
Ephemeral describes things that are briefly present and then disappear; use it for short-lived phenomena, not for long processes. Donβt confuse with evanescent, which also suggests fading, but has a slightly different nuance.