ephemeral
/ɪˈfemərəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈfemərəl/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈfe-mə-rəl -ˈfē- -ˈfem-rəl, -ˈfēm-/ (ame, mw)
ephemeral — adjective
- ephemeralpositive
- more ephemeralcomparative
- most ephemeralsuperlative
1. If something is ephemeral, it stays around only briefly and then fades, disappea
If something is ephemeral, it stays around only briefly and then fades, disappears, or ends instead of continuing.
The beauty of the ice sculpture was ephemeral in the afternoon sun.
be + ephemeral; beauty that quickly fades
Nadia's anger seemed ephemeral, and she was laughing again ten minutes later.
The online interest in the toy proved ephemeral after the school holiday ended.
A warm smell from the bakery can be ephemeral on a windy street.
- temporary
the everyday word for something expected to end after a period of time
- fleeting
stresses very quick passing, often with a lighter or more poetic tone
- short-lived
neutral and conversational; often used when something ends sooner than hoped
- transient
formal like ephemeral, but often emphasizes passing through or instability
文法句型
ephemeral + noun
be + ephemeral
用法筆記
More formal than 'temporary' or 'short-lived'. It often describes feelings, beauty, fashion, fame, or other things that fade quickly by nature, not arrangements planned to end on a schedule.
常見錯誤
ephemeral — noun
1. An ephemeral is a thing or living form that appears for a short period and then
An ephemeral is a thing or living form that appears for a short period and then quickly dies, fades, or disappears, especially a plant or insect with only a brief visible life.
The guide pointed to spring ephemerals that bloom before the trees leaf out.
botanical plural: spring ephemerals
Mayflies are classic ephemerals, surviving only a brief adult life.
especially used for short-lived insects
Gardeners wait each March for ephemerals that vanish once the forest turns dark.
The article called viral memes ephemerals that flare up and disappear within days.
Bloodroot and trillium are ephemerals, so the nursery sells them for only a short season.
- ephemeron
a technical near-synonym used in specialist writing
- phenomenon
much broader; it only matches when the thing is clearly short-lived from context
- fixture
something that stays in place or remains for a long time
- permanent feature
something expected to remain rather than vanish quickly
文法句型
an + ephemeral
ephemerals + verb
spring + ephemerals
用法筆記
Usually plural and quite formal. It is especially common in gardening or biology for plants and insects with a short visible life, but it can also label short-lived cultural things such as trends or memes.