fleetingly
fleetingly — adverb
1. for an extremely short period, so briefly that something is almost not noticed —
for an extremely short period, so briefly that something is almost not noticed — used when describing a moment, feeling, sight, or thought that passes so fast it barely registers.
Darius smiled fleetingly when he heard his daughter's laugh across the playground.
sentence adverb modifying a verb of perception
The face of an old friend appeared fleetingly in the crowd before the train pulled away.
position after the verb for brief duration
A fleetingly warm breeze passed through the kitchen window and then was gone.
Talia thought fleetingly about the job offer in Berlin before deciding to stay in Taipei.
The sun shone fleetingly through the clouds during the afternoon walk.
- briefly
the most common neutral alternative — 'briefly' can describe any short duration (seconds to years); 'fleetingly' is reserved for moments barely long enough to register.
- momentarily
suggests a literal moment or instant; more formal than 'fleetingly' and more precise about time.
- transiently
more formal and technical; describes phenomena that pass through a system or state rather than a personal perception.
- permanently
the direct opposite — lasting forever rather than a fraction of a second.
- endlessly
emphasises no end at all, contrasting with the instant quality of 'fleetingly'.
文法句型
fleetingly + verb phrase
用法筆記
Typically placed immediately before or after the main verb. Cannot be used with continuous states — a 'fleetingly known person' or 'fleetingly owned house' sounds unnatural because the adverb implies a momentary perception, not a lasting condition.