Word
ephemeral
Meanings
Lasting for only a short time; quickly disappearing.
Temporary and not meant to be kept or remembered for long.
Definition
Lasting for a very short time.
Ephemeral describes something that exists or happens only briefly. It may be beautiful or important, but it does not last. People often use it for feelings, trends, events, or natural things like flowers or rainbows.
Examples
- The rainbow was ephemeral, gone within minutes.
- Fame can be ephemeral, especially online.
- They enjoyed an ephemeral moment of peace before the noise returned.
- The artist focused on the ephemeral nature of light at sunset.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse ephemeral with eternal, but ephemeral means short-lived, not lasting forever.
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More adjectives
- agnostic An agnostic is someone who does not claim to know whether God exists.
- pragmatic Pragmatic means focused on practical results rather than ideals or theories.
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- cynical Cynical describes believing that people are mainly motivated by self-interest and not sincere.
- apathetic Apathetic means showing little or no interest, concern, or enthusiasm.