Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of fleeting are ephemeral, evanescent, fugitive, momentary, transient, and transitory. While all these words mean "lasting or staying only a short time," fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

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

In what contexts can ephemeral take the place of fleeting?

The words ephemeral and fleeting are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

Where would evanescent be a reasonable alternative to fleeting?

While the synonyms evanescent and fleeting are close in meaning, evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

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

When is it sensible to use momentary instead of fleeting?

The synonyms momentary and fleeting are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

When might transient be a better fit than fleeting?

The meanings of transient and fleeting largely overlap; however, 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 fleeting?

The words transitory and fleeting can be used in similar contexts, but 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 fleeting Fun fact: The brand name Monos is inspired by the Japanese concept of mono no aware, which encourages seeing the beauty of fleeting moments. Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 20 Mar. 2025 Just as a strong relationship isn’t defined by a single conversation, confidence comes from recognizing long-term patterns rather than reacting to fleeting moments. Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025 In the process, Ari and Cass expose their most vulnerable selves, if only for a few fleeting moments. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for fleeting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleeting
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
  • More recently, a brief outburst of about 90 per hour was seen in 1922.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Francis made the unannounced visit near the end of Mass and delivered a brief greeting, all while receiving oxygen via his nose.
    Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The project feeds on the temporary abundance of glacial meltwater.
    Ari Caramanica, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The high court opinion comes just as the judge who issued the temporary restraining order was mulling whether to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for violating his order to pause last month’s flights of Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador.
    David Catanese, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Statistics on homelessness are fluid because the population is transient and tends to distrust outreach workers.
    Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2025
  • And even if that’s the case, our fantasies can be transient.
    Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • With each passing year, those trees grew more enormous.
    Thao Thai, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Needless to say, the quality of Lucasfilm's in-house animation work only goes up with each passing year.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In her ideal world, everyone would have a transitory object at home.
    Marisa Meltzer, ARTnews.com, 31 Mar. 2025
  • Others point to the fact that while the drugs are promising, their impact may be transitory.
    Seth Joseph, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Snapchat, meanwhile, exposed teens to risky interactions due to its ephemeral messaging, which fosters intimate but potentially unsafe connections.
    Abdulmalik Alluhidan, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2025
  • They’re not limited to Southern California, though; for more info on possible places these awesome, ephemeral displays might appear in 2025, check out the nonprofit Theodore Payne Foundation.
    Outside Online, Outside Online, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Leonard Cohen, who spent several years in a monastery, spoke of how part of the benefit of the experience was in being denied even momentary escape from the other monks.
    Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
  • But this momentary interruption in the normal order hardly matters because the ensemble is so comfortably aligned in the theatrical universe that Godwin has created.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fleeting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleeting. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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