glimpsed
Caught quick sight
Glimpsed is the past tense of glimpse, meaning to see something briefly or incompletely.
You might glimpse a face in a crowd, or glimpse the truth behind someone's words.
What's glimpsed is caught only partially—seen for a moment, then gone: I glimpsed her through the window as the train pulled away.
Seen or patterned
discerned · perceived · observed · sighted · witnessed · beheld · glanced · peeked
Passing very quickly
- briefShort in duration
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- passingMoving by or temporary
momentary · instantaneous · flash · quick · sudden · split-second · evanescent · flitting
spotted
Seen or patterned
detected · discerned · perceived · observed · sighted · witnessed · beheld · glanced · peeked · scanned
fleeting
Passing very quickly
passing · momentary · instantaneous · flash · quick · sudden · split-second · evanescent · flitting · short-lived
blurry
Indistinct, lacking definition
indistinct · obscure · dim · fuzzy · murky · foggy · partial · fragmented · half-seen · peripheral
revealed
Made visible or known
shown · betrayed · hinted · suggested · intimated · previewed · foreshadowed · teased · flashed · surfaced
- awarenessalertness, aware, attention, cognizance, conscious
glimpsedstared
Looked long and hard
gazed · watched · scrutinized · studied · observed
glimpsedmissed
Failed to reach
overlooked · unglimpsed · unnoticed · unseen · unobserved