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 economyfleeting 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 thoughtmomentary 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 hairdiminutive formal literary very short or small – used especially in descriptions in novels:
a diminutive figure dressed in blackstubby stubby fingers or toes are short and thick:
the baby’s stubby little fingersfilm 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 moviemotion 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 blockbusterflick informal a film – a very informal use:
an action flickdocumentary a film that gives detailed information and facts about a particular subject:
a documentary on the rain forestfeature 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 moviehorror 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 characterCGI the use of computers to create characters and images in a film:
The film uses CGI. Disney’s latest CGI movietrailer 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 ▲