ephemeral
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ephemeral
- /ɛˈfɛ.mə.ɹəl/
- /əˈfɛ.mə.ɹəl/
Where it comes from
From New Latin ephemerus, from Ancient Greek ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros), the more common form of ἐφημέριος (ephēmérios, “of, for, or during the day, living or lasting but for a day, short-lived, temporary”), from ἐπί (epí, “on”) + ἡμέρα (hēméra, “day”).
adjective more ephemeral · most ephemeral
-
Lasting for a short period of time.
1821-1822, Vicesimus Knox, Remarks on the tendency of certain Clauses in a Bill now pending in Parliament to degrade Grammar Schools
Esteem, lasting esteem, the esteem of good men, like himself, will be his reward, when the gale of ephemeral popularity shall have gradually subsided.
Similar: temporary, transitory, fleeting, evanescent, momentary, short-lived, short, volatile · Opposite: permanent, eternal, everlasting, timeless
- Existing for only one day, as with some flowers, insects, and diseases.
- Usually dry, but filling with water for brief periods during and after precipitation. The graben constitutes a depositional basin and a topographic low, underlain by Cretaceous shales, in which volcanic debris accumulated in ephemeral lakes and streams in Oligocene and early Miocene time.
Similar: earthly, ephemeral, brief, deciduous, evanescent, fleeting, flying, fugacious, fugitive, instant, momentary, passing, perishable, quick, seasonable, short, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitive, transitory, volatile, whilend, worldly · Opposite: eternal, lasting, perennial, persistent
noun ephemerals
-
Something which lasts for a short period of time.
Similar: ephemeron
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: transitory, short-lived, transient, impermanent, fugacious, temporary, passing, fleeting, brief, transitional, short, perishable, fragile, vertical, volatile, seasonal
adjective
Similar: earthly, ephemeral, brief, deciduous, evanescent, fleeting, flying, fugacious, fugitive, instant, momentary, passing, perishable, quick, seasonable, short, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitive, transitory, volatile, whilend, worldly · Opposite: eternal, lasting, perennial, persistent
Translations
Every language
adj lasting for a short period of time
| Español | efímero |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 재지 않는 jaeji anneun |
| 日本語 | はかない hakanai, 束の間の tsukanoma no, 泡沫 utakata |
| 中文 | 短暫的 /短暂的 duǎnzàn de, 一時的 /一时的 yīshí de |
| हिन्दी | क्षणभंगुर kṣaṇbhaṅgur |
| Français | éphémère |
| Deutsch | flüchtig, kurzlebig, vergänglich, ephemer |
| Italiano | effimero, passeggero, fuggevole, transitorio, fugace |
| Ελληνικά | εφήμερος efímeros |
| Română | efemer, trecător |
| Русский | эфеме́рный efemérnyj, преходящий prexodjaščij, мимолётный mimoljótnyj, недолговечный nedolgovečnyj, непродолжительный neprodolžitelʹnyj |
| עברית | בֶּן חֲלוֹף bén khalóf |
Talk about this word "ephemeral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ephemeral. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ephemeral. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ephemeral "ephemeral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ephemeral.Cite this
@misc{ephemeral_2026,
title = {ephemeral},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ephemeral},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
