fleeting

Gone before long

Fleeting describes something that passes quickly or lasts only a moment: a fleeting glimpse, a fleeting thought, fleeting happiness.

The word emphasizes how briefly something exists before vanishing.

What's fleeting may be precious precisely because it doesn't last: Their time together was fleeting but unforgettable.

temporal

momentary

Lasting very briefly

briefShort in duration
instantBriefest unit of time
secondUnit smaller than minute

split-second · heartbeat · blink · flash · nanosecond · microsecond · jiffy · twinkling · wink · tick

impermanent

ephemeral

Lasting very briefly

transientTemporary, soon departing
temporaryLimited in duration
short-livedLasting only briefly

passing · transitory · evanescent · impermanent · fugitive · provisional · interim · fly-by-night · unstable · mutable

vanishing

fading

Gradual loss of intensity

disappearingCeasing to be visible
vanishingCeasing to be visible
dissipatingScattering and fading out

evaporating · dissolving · waning · receding · slipping · melting · dimming · ebbing · dwindling · elusive

fragile

delicate

Easily broken or harmed

tenuousLacking solid foundation
wispyThin and insubstantial
gossamerFilmy, delicate material

diaphanous · insubstantial · ethereal · fragile · perishable · vulnerable · precarious

Categories

Quick wordsinstant, swift, rapid, fast, speedy
barely therefaint, subtle, trace, hint, indistinct
timesecond, minute, hour, day, seconds
time wordsminute, hour, day, now, soon
fragrancesperfume, cologne, aftershave, essential oils, floral
time conceptsclock, calendar, hour, minute, second

Opposites

temporal duration

fleetingeternal

Lasting without end

permanent · everlasting · endless · perpetual · lasting

stability/persistence

fleetingpermanent

Fixed without end

enduring · constant · persistent · durable · lasting

Phrases

fleeting momentTransient instant
fleeting glanceQuick, passing look
fleeting thoughtBrief, quickly forgotten idea
fleeting beautyShort-lived aesthetic appeal
fleeting timeBrevity of passing moments
fleeting reignTemporary hold on power

Family

fleetingly, fleetingness

Familiarity: Top 20,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Everyday, not technical · Rated G