fleeting thought
Brief mental flash
A fleeting thought is a mental impression that passes quickly through the mind—here and gone before you can fully grasp it.
The phrase emphasizes how briefly the thought lingers: I had a fleeting thought about calling her, but then forgot.
Unlike sustained reflection, fleeting thoughts arrive unbidden and vanish just as easily.
- passingMoving by or temporary
- passing fancyTemporary, shallow attraction
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- wispThin, delicate trace
- glimpseFleeting view
flash · flash of insight · notion · whim · flicker · drift · vanish · ephemeral · daydream · musing · idle · stream of consciousness · wandering · distraction · forgotten · mental note · slip · slip away
- thoughtsidea, ideas, notion, notions, musings
- whimswhim, whimsy, caprice, fancy, impulse
- Passing Observationsglance, peek, glimpse, quick look, sidelong glance
- memory slipsforgotten name, memory lapse, memory block, brain freeze, memory gap
fleeting thoughtobsession
Persistent, intrusive preoccupation
fixation · preoccupation · intrusive thought · rumination · constant worry
fleeting thoughtdeep reflection
fleeting, thought, fleet, fleetingly, thinking, thoughts, thoughtful, thoughtfully, thoughtfulness