Synonym Chooser

How is the word evanescent different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of evanescent are ephemeral, fleeting, fugitive, momentary, transient, and transitory. While all these words mean "lasting or staying only a short time," evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

Where would ephemeral be a reasonable alternative to evanescent?

The words ephemeral and evanescent can be used in similar contexts, but ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

How are the words fugitive and fleeting related as synonyms of evanescent?

Both fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face
fleeting moments of joy

When is it sensible to use momentary instead of evanescent?

In some situations, the words momentary and evanescent are roughly equivalent. However, momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

my feelings of guilt were only momentary

In what contexts can transient take the place of evanescent?

The synonyms transient and evanescent are sometimes interchangeable, but transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

When is transitory a more appropriate choice than evanescent?

The words transitory and evanescent are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

fame in the movies is transitory

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of evanescent Consumatory scholarship has much more individualized and evanescent outcomes. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2012 On the plus side are our memories, which elevate the evanescent pleasure of the meal to the longer-term reward of enjoyment. Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 24 Nov. 2022 But from his vantage on the evanescent bridge to maturity, So is puzzling out some big questions, ones that might be exigent from different vantages at any age. Deborah Eisenberg, The New York Review of Books, 19 Aug. 2021 This is to try to capture and memorialize this volatile and evanescent mode of expression, with its references both obscure and shared by millions. Patrick Iber, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021 See All Example Sentences for evanescent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for evanescent
Adjective
  • Don’t let the lack of flash fool you — this guy is the real deal.
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The German figures come a day before the scheduled release of flash inflation data for the euro area, which will be closely watched by investors for guidance on the odds of another interest rate cut from the European Central Bank.
    Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • As a result, his answers are brief and not all that stimulating.
    Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The ribbon cutting, hosted by the Ocklawaha Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, will include light refreshments, and a brief program.
    Orlando Sentinel Staff, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The submerged cellars also create temporary artificial reefs that attract marine life.
    Coke Bartrina, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Carved out of the ground floor of the airport’s parking garage, this space was a temporary replacement for the dingy, crowded, original domestic terminal built 34 years prior, which was not handicap-accessible and had an inadequate baggage facility and a troublesome security layout.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The pod, believed to be comprised of Bigg's or transient whales, was spotted visiting Elliott Bay, seemingly to take a bite out of its aviation population.
    Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The threat of tornadoes is most significant in southern Mississippi and southern Louisiana, where thunderstorms have already led to some severe wind gusts and transient circulations.
    Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Although threats were made in 2024, the ability to make good on those threats has certainly diminished in 2025 and appear to decrease with every passing day.
    Joshua D. Smeltzer, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • With each passing week, the UEFA Conference League is growing in importance for Chelsea and their head coach Enzo Maresca.
    Simon Johnson, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • While the camp’s Cold War importance was fleeting — the US military abandoned Camp Century in the late 1960s after less than a decade in operation — the cutting-edge scientific work conducted there, in fields such as geophysics and paleoclimatology, has had enduring impacts.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 15 Mar. 2025
  • But that relief could be fleeting if widening trade wars reignite higher costs.
    Axios, Axios, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Apps are ephemeral—the most popular ones are always changing.
    Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2025
  • Castro’s relationship to Camacho is peculiar, in the way that not many in the industry had the chance to meet this ephemeral talent.
    Griselda Flores, Billboard, 25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Related Articles Now, Detroit, which has gone from one of the league’s most disappointing teams to its one of its hottest after hiring a name-brand coach in Todd McLellan, cleared some salary cap space ahead of the trade deadline, while the Ducks plugged a transitory hole in their goalie pipeline.
    Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Some Republican economists also dismissed the idea that the fiscal stimulus would be inflationary, and financial markets suggested that investors believed that inflation would be transitory.
    Jason Furman, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Evanescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/evanescent. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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