blink of an eye
Briefest possible moment
A blink of an eye is an extremely short period of time—the fraction of a second it takes eyelids to close and open.
The phrase emphasizes how quickly something happens: The opportunity vanished in the blink of an eye.
It often highlights how fast circumstances can change or how brief a moment feels in retrospect.
Briefest unit of time
- instantaneousHappening without any delay
- flashBrief burst of light
- split-secondFraction of a moment
- nanosecondOne-billionth second unit
jiffy · heartbeat · tick · trice · twinkling · microsecond · millisecond · rapid
Passing very quickly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- briefShort in duration
- momentaryLasting very briefly
short-lived · passing · temporary · impermanent · evanescent · fugitive · quick · hasty
Occurring without prior notice
- abruptSharp and unexpected
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
- startlingCausing sudden surprise
- surprisingCausing mild shock
unforeseen · unanticipated · precipitous · impulsive · spontaneous · jarring · explosive · meteoric
instant
Briefest unit of time
- instantaneousHappening without any delay
- flashBrief burst of light
- split-secondFraction of a moment
nanosecond · jiffy · heartbeat · tick · trice · twinkling · microsecond · millisecond · rapid · immediate
fleeting
Passing very quickly
momentary · short-lived · passing · temporary · impermanent · evanescent · fugitive · quick · hasty · cursory
sudden
Occurring without prior notice
- abruptSharp and unexpected
- unexpectedNot anticipated beforehand
- startlingCausing sudden surprise
surprising · unforeseen · unanticipated · precipitous · impulsive · spontaneous · jarring · explosive · meteoric · snap
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- Quick wordsinstant, swift, rapid, fast, speedy
- Speed Expressionsin a flash, quick as a flash, in no time, lickety-split, lickety split
- urgencyurgent, urgently, emergency, ASAP, stat
blink of an eyeeternity
Boundless temporal existence
eon · forever · ages · eons · donkey's years
blink of an eyeslow motion
Playback below normal speed
watching paint dry · watching grass grow · snail's pace · long haul · marathon
blink of an eyeforever and a day
Emphatic term for always
a long time coming · time immemorial · slow motion · marathon · ages and ages
blink, twinkle, blinking, blinked, blinks, blinker, blinkers, unblinking, eyeblink