Meanings
comparative more ephemeral · superlative 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.
2 more examples
sentences not of ephemeral, but of eternal, efficacy
1853, James Stephen, Lecture on the right use of BooksIt was during an access of this kind that I suddenly left my home, and bending my steps towards the near Alpine valleys, sought in the magnificence, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself and my ephemeral, because human, sorrows.
1818, Mary Shelley, chapter 9, in Frankenstein, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2012Synonyms: temporary, transitory, fleeting, evanescent, momentary, short-lived, short, volatile · Antonyms: permanent, eternal, everlasting, timeless
- geographyUsually 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.
1986, W.H. Raymond, "Clinoptilolite Deposit in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, U.S.A.", in Yūichi Murakami et al. (editors), New Developments in Zeolite Science and Technology (conference proceedings), Elsevier, page 80
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLasting for a short period of time.
nounSomething which lasts for a short period of time.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivelasting a very short time
nounanything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐφήμερος
- New Latinephemerus
- Englishephemeral
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”).
More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Brazilian Portuguese efêmero
- efêmerolasting for a short period of time
Bulgarian краткотраен, мимолетен
- краткотраен (kratkotraen)lasting for a short period of time
- мимолетен (mimoleten)lasting for a short period of time
- еднодневен (ednodneven)existing for only one day
Catalan efímer, efímer
- efímerlasting for a short period of time
- efímerexisting for only one day
Chinese Cantonese 短暫嘅 /短暂嘅, 一時嘅 /一时嘅
- 短暫嘅 /短暂嘅 (dyun² zaam⁶ ge³)lasting for a short period of time
- 一時嘅 /一时嘅 (jat¹ si⁴ ge³)lasting for a short period of time
Chinese Mandarin 短暫的 /短暂的, 一時的 /一时的
- 短暫的 /短暂的 (duǎnzàn de)lasting for a short period of time
- 一時的 /一时的 (yīshí de)lasting for a short period of time
- 朝生暮死的existing for only one day
- 昙花一现的existing for only one day
Czech dočasný, krátkodobý
- dočasnýlasting for a short period of time
- krátkodobýlasting for a short period of time
- efemernílasting for a short period of time
Danish midlertidig, kortlivet
- midlertidiglasting for a short period of time
- kortlivetlasting for a short period of time
- døgnflueexisting for only one day
Dutch vergankelijk, kortstondig
- vergankelijklasting for a short period of time
- kortstondiglasting for a short period of time
- vluchtiglasting for a short period of time
- eendaagsexisting for only one day
- eendagsexisting for only one day
Esperanto efemera momenta
- efemera momentalasting for a short period of time
European Portuguese efémero
- efémerolasting for a short period of time
Finnish lyhytaikainen, hetkellinen
- lyhytaikainenlasting for a short period of time
- hetkellinenlasting for a short period of time
- ohimenevälasting for a short period of time
- päivä-existing for only one day
- päivän-existing for only one day
- päivän kestäväexisting for only one day
French éphémère
- éphémèrelasting for a short period of time
German flüchtig, kurzlebig
- flüchtiglasting for a short period of time
- kurzlebiglasting for a short period of time
- vergänglichlasting for a short period of time
- ephemerlasting for a short period of time
- Eintags-existing for only one day
Greek εφήμερος, εφήμερος
- εφήμερος (efímeros)lasting for a short period of time
- εφήμερος (efímeros)existing for only one day
Hebrew בֶּן חֲלוֹף
- בֶּן חֲלוֹף (bén khalóf)lasting for a short period of time
Hindi क्षणभंगुर
- क्षणभंगुर (kṣaṇbhaṅgur)lasting for a short period of time
Hungarian kérészéletű, efemer
- kérészéletűlasting for a short period of time
- efemerlasting for a short period of time
- röpkelasting for a short period of time
- tiszavirág-életűexisting for only one day
Icelandic skammvinnur, skammær
- skammvinnurlasting for a short period of time
- skammærlasting for a short period of time
- skammlífurlasting for a short period of time
- hverfulllasting for a short period of time
- dægurlangurexisting for only one day
Indonesian fana
- fanalasting for a short period of time
Irish breacshaolach, gearrshaolach
- breacshaolachlasting for a short period of time
- gearrshaolachlasting for a short period of time
Italian effimero, passeggero
- effimerolasting for a short period of time
- passeggerolasting for a short period of time
- fuggevolelasting for a short period of time
- transitoriolasting for a short period of time
- fugacelasting for a short period of time
Japanese はかない, 束の間の
- はかない (hakanai)lasting for a short period of time
- 束の間の (tsukanoma no)lasting for a short period of time
- 泡沫 (utakata)lasting for a short period of time
Korean 재지 않는
- 재지 않는 (jaeji anneun)lasting for a short period of time
Māori rangitahi, rangitahi
- rangitahilasting for a short period of time
- rangitahiexisting for only one day
Norwegian kortvarig
- kortvariglasting for a short period of time
Polish ulotny, efemeryczny
- ulotnylasting for a short period of time
- efemerycznylasting for a short period of time
- efemerycznyexisting for only one day
Romanian efemer, trecător
- efemerlasting for a short period of time
- trecătorlasting for a short period of time
- efemerexisting for only one day
Russian эфеме́рный, преходящий
- эфеме́рный (efemérnyj)lasting for a short period of time
- преходящий (prexodjaščij)lasting for a short period of time
- мимолётный (mimoljótnyj)lasting for a short period of time
- недолговечный (nedolgovečnyj)lasting for a short period of time
- непродолжительный (neprodolžitelʹnyj)lasting for a short period of time
- однодневный (odnodnevnyj)existing for only one day
Spanish efímero
- efímerolasting for a short period of time
Swedish flyktig, efemär
- flyktiglasting for a short period of time
- efemärlasting for a short period of time
- förgängliglasting for a short period of time
- kortlivadlasting for a short period of time
Turkish efemera
- efemeralasting for a short period of time
Ukrainian ефемерний, швидкоплинний
- ефемерний (efemernyj)lasting for a short period of time
- швидкоплинний (švydkoplynnyj)lasting for a short period of time
- одноденний (odnodennyj)existing for only one day
Welsh byrhoedlog, undydd
- byrhoedloglasting for a short period of time
- undyddlasting for a short period of time
- undyddexisting for only one day
Cite this entry
ephemeral. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephemeral
“ephemeral.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephemeral. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ephemeral,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ephemeral.
Source: ephemeral on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.