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View synonyms for

ephemeral

[ ih-fem-er-uhl ]

adjective

  1. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory:

    The poem celebrates the ephemeral joys of childhood.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

    Antonyms:

  2. (of flowers or insects) lasting only a few days or less:

    Lily of the valley is an ephemeral flower.

  3. being of temporary value or passing interest:

    She had a scrapbook full of ephemeral news clippings about forgotten events.

  4. Computers.
    1. being or relating to messages, images, or other data that are written to temporary or virtual storage only, and are therefore liable to change or be lost unless copied to permanent storage immediately or within a very short time:

      Snapchat is an ephemeral messaging app.

    2. being or relating to a temporary storage medium, especially a virtual one:

      In case of a hardware failure this data will be lost, as it is only stored locally on an ephemeral drive.



noun

  1. anything short-lived, such as certain flowers and insects.

ephemeral

/ ɪˈɛəə /

adjective

  1. lasting for only a short time; transitory; short-lived

    ephemeral pleasure

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a short-lived organism, such as the mayfly
  2. a plant that completes its life cycle in less than one year, usually less than six months
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌ𳾱ˈٲ, noun
  • ˈ𳾱, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • ···· adverb
  • ····Ա noun
  • ԴDz···· adjective
  • non····· adverb
  • ܲ···· adjective
  • un····· adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ephemeral1

First recorded in 1570–80; from Greek ḗm(Dz) “short-lived, lasting a day” (from ep- ep- + ŧé() “day” + -os, adjective suffix) + -al 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ephemeral1

C16: from Greek ŧDz lasting only a day, from ŧ day
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Adebimpe’s ephemeral musings on death became very real when his only relative in the U.S., his younger sister, died in 2021.

From

Now, everything is designed to be ephemeral and disposable, tossed away to make room for the next thing.

From

This is a much taller order in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where the transient, ephemeral nature of the city makes it harder for memory to persist.

From

“Leave the land alone,” the ephemeral skywriting said in puffs of wispy smoke.

From

The mayor’s texts were “ephemeral,” Michaelson told Wick in a March 7 email, and thus protected from public scrutiny.

From

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