ephemeral
[adjective]
Synonyms: brief, fleeting, momentary, passing, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitory

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Antonyms: perpetual
Contrasted words: endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, lasting
Related Idioms: here today and gone tomorrow
Related Words: brief, short, temporary, unenduring, episodic

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English Thesaurus: short, brief, quick, short-lived, fleeting, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

e‧phem‧e‧ral /ɪˈfemərəl/ adjective
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Greek; Origin: ephemeros 'lasting a day', from hemera 'day']
existing or popular for only a short time Synonym : transitory:
Fashion is by nature ephemeral.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

short not long:
I lived in Tokyo for a short time.
Smokers have a shorter life expectancy than non-smokers.
brief especially written lasting only for a short time. Brief is more formal than short, and is used especially in written English:
The President will make a brief visit to Seattle today.
He coached Hingis for a brief period in the 1990s.
quick [only before noun] taking a short time to do something:
I had a quick look at the map.
He had a quick shower and then went out.
short-lived lasting only for a short time – used especially when someone wishes that a good situation had been able to last for longer:
short-lived success
The ceasefire was short-lived.
a short-lived romance
short-lived optimism about the economy
fleeting lasting only for an extremely short time – used especially when someone wishes that something had been able to last for longer:
a fleeting visit
a fleeting smile
She caught a fleeting glimpse of him.
a fleeting moment of happiness
a fleeting thought
momentary lasting for a very short time – used especially about feelings or pauses:
There was a momentary pause in the conversation.
The momentary panic ended when he found his two-year-old son waiting happily outside the store.
passing [only before noun] lasting only for a short time – used especially when people are only interested in something or mention something for a short time:
passing fashions
He made only a passing reference to war.
It’s just a passing phase (=it will end soon).
ephemeral formal lasting only for a short time, and ending quickly like everything else in this world:
Beauty is ephemeral.
the ephemeral nature of our existence
His wealth proved to be ephemeral.
not very tall quite short. This phrase sounds more gentle than saying that someone is short:
She wasn’t very tall – maybe about 1.60 m.
small short and with a small body:
My mother was a small woman.
The girl was quite small for her age (=smaller than other girls of the same age).
petite used about a woman who is attractively short and thin:
She was a petite woman with blonde hair.
stocky used about a boy or man who is short, heavy, and strong:
Harry was stocky and middle-aged.
dumpy short and fat:
a dumpy girl with red hair
diminutive formal literary very short or small – used especially in descriptions in novels:
a diminutive figure dressed in black
stubby stubby fingers or toes are short and thick:
the baby’s stubby little fingers
film especially British English, movie especially American English a series of images that tell a story and are shown in a cinema or on television:
What’s your favourite movie?
It won the award for best foreign film.
a made-for-TV movie
motion picture formal (also picture) a film – used especially by people who make films or by critics:
a major Hollywood motion picture
Tell us about your latest picture.
blockbuster informal a very successful film:
Steven Spielberg’s latest Hollywood blockbuster
flick informal a film – a very informal use:
an action flick
documentary a film that gives detailed information and facts about a particular subject:
a documentary on the rain forest
feature film a film made to be shown in cinemas:
The book was later made into a full-length feature film starring Sean Penn.
comedy a film intended to make people laugh:
Monroe appeared in a number of comedies.
romantic comedy (also romcom British English informal) a film about two people who are in love, which is intended to make the people who watch it feel happy:
‘Notting Hill’ is a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
thriller an exciting film, especially about murder or serious crimes:
‘The Birds’ is a classic Hitchcock thriller.
film noir a film that shows strong feelings of fear or evil and whose characters are often immoral, or these films in general:
‘The Big Sleep’ is a classic Hollywood film noir.
action film/movie a film that has lots of fighting, explosions etc:
Stallone’s latest action movie
horror film/movie a frightening film about ghosts, murders etc:
She loves watching old horror movies.
western a film with cowboys in it:
John Wayne is famous for making westerns.
science fiction film/movie (also sci-fi film/movie informal) a film about imaginary events in the future or in outer space:
‘2001’ is probably the most famous sci-fi movie ever made.
gangster film/movie a film about violent criminals
silent film/movie an old film without any sound:
The 1920s were the golden age of silent movies.
an independent film/movie a film made by a small film company
animated film/movie/cartoon a film with characters that are drawn or made using a computer:
One of his first animated films was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’.
anime /ˈænɪmeɪ, -mə/ a type of Japanese animated film, which often has a science fiction story:
Miyazaki’s anime film ‘Spirited Away’ became an international success.
an anime character
CGI the use of computers to create characters and images in a film:
The film uses CGI.
Disney’s latest CGI movie
trailer a series of short scenes from a film or programme, shown in order to advertise it in a cinema, on television etc:
We had to sit through all the trailers.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

temporary continuing for only a limited period of time:
I’ve got a temporary office job, but I hope I’ll find something more permanent soon.
I’m sure the problem is only temporary.
temporary staff
a temporary visa
provisional temporary – used especially about arrangements or information that people may decide to change in the future. Also used about licences or governments which are only arranged to last for a short time:
Does the hotel accept provisional bookings?
They have set a provisional date for the next meeting.
a provisional driving licence
In June, the rebels claimed to have formed a provisional government.
Provisional figures yesterday from the Department of Transport showed that 4,274 people were killed last year — 6 percent fewer than the previous year.
stopgap [only before noun] temporary – used about something that you use for a short time until you can replace it with something better:
The Republicans will approve the one-month budget as a stopgap measure to keep the state operating.
This is only a stopgap solution to the country’s debt problem.
passing [only before noun] temporary – used about an interest, thought, or feeling that is short and not very serious:
Tonight’s game will be exciting, even to those with only a passing interest in the sport.
As a student, I didn’t give working in finance even a passing thought.
ephemeral formal existing or popular for only a short time:
the ephemeral beauty of white snow on green trees and bare branches
Many new words, particularly slang, are fleeting and ephemeral.
transient formal continuing for only a limited time, or staying somewhere for only a short time – used especially to say that something is always changing, or people only stay somewhere for a short time:
the transient nature of life
transient changes in the electrical properties of the neurons
Arizona has a highly transient population.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲