fugacious

IPA/fjuːˈɡeɪ.ʃəs/
IPA/fjuːˈɡeɪ.ʃəs/

fugacious — adjective

  • fugaciouspositive
  • more fugaciouscomparative
  • most fugacioussuperlative

1. passing or ending very quickly, often in a way that seems natural or inevitable,

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

passing or ending very quickly, often in a way that seems natural or inevitable, like a flower that blooms for just a day or the very short life of an insect.

Example

The fugacious beauty of cherry blossoms draws crowds every spring.

collocation: fugacious beauty

In the desert, a short rain creates a fugacious landscape of tiny flowers.

Common collocations
  • fugacious beauty
  • fugacious moment
  • fugacious fame
  • fugacious scent
  • fugacious bloom
  • fugacious pleasure
  • fugacious nature
Synonyms
  • fleeting

    most common word for this idea; neutral register, suitable for everyday use

  • transitory

    slightly more formal, often of phases or conditions that change (e.g. transitory phase)

  • ephemeral

    literary tone, often used for natural phenomena (e.g. ephemeral flowers, insects)

  • evanescent

    very formal, emphasises gradual vanishing rather than quick disappearance

Antonyms
  • permanent

    something that does not change or disappear

  • lasting

    continuing for a long time

  • enduring

    surviving difficulties or the passage of time

Grammar Patterns

fugacious + noun

be + fugacious

Usage Note

Common in literary or formal writing rather than everyday speech. Often modifies abstract nouns such as beauty, moment, fame, scent, bloom, or pleasure. Not used to describe concrete objects that wear down or break — instead, it focuses on a natural short lifespan.

Common Mistakes

His anger was fugacious and passed in a minute.
His anger was fleeting and passed in a minute.
'fugacious' sounds too literary for ordinary emotions; use 'fleeting' instead.
The fugacious rabbit ran away quickly.
The rabbit disappeared quickly.
'fugacious' describes how long something lasts, not how fast it moves.

Word family

  • fugaciously
    adverbC2
  • fugacity
    nounC2
  • fugitive
    adjective / nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Fleeting is the everyday word — it describes anything that passes quickly, from a smile to a moment of happiness. Transitory is slightly more formal and often applies to stages or conditions that change by nature, such as adolescence or a political phase. Ephemeral carries a literary flavour and is strongly associated with the natural world (ephemeral flowers, mayflies, spring blossoms). Evanescent is the rarest and most formal of the four; it suggests something fading gradually or dissolving before your eyes, like a memory or a vapour. In most daily situations, fleeting is the best choice. For formal writing about nature or time, ephemeral or transitory fit better.

fleeting ↗transitoryephemeral ↗evanescent ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • fugaciously

Phrases

  • the fugacious nature of something

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Fugacious comes from Latin fugax (meaning 'fleeing, swift, shy') combined with the English suffix -acious ('tending to'). The root fugere means 'to flee', and the sense of 'quick to disappear' grew from the image of something running away or slipping out of sight.

First known use

1635

1635, in the meaning defined above