Definition
Ephemeral describes what is here and then gone — beauty, fame, fashions, mayflies. From the Greek ephēmeros, 'lasting a day', it originally described creatures that lived no longer than a single sunrise-to-sunset. Today it carries a wistful, almost poetic tone: to call something ephemeral is not just to say it is brief, but to notice its brevity, the way cherry blossoms are admired precisely because they fall so soon.
Examples
- Cherry blossoms are celebrated in Japan precisely because they are so ephemeral.
- Online fame tends to be ephemeral, evaporating within a news cycle or two.
- The exhibition captures ephemeral street art before the walls are painted over.
Synonyms
fleeting · transient · short-lived · momentary · evanescent
In TOEFL & IELTS
A favorite of TOEFL reading passages on art, ecology, and digital culture. Examiners love it as a vocabulary-in-context question — be ready to match it with 'short-lived'. In IELTS Speaking Part 3, dropping 'ephemeral' into a discussion of social media trends ('such fame is usually ephemeral') is a natural way to show precise, idiomatic range.