| Front | fleeting |
|---|---|
| Back | fleet‧ing /ˈfliːtɪŋ/ adjective [usually before noun] lasting for only a short time SYN brief: a fleeting smile For one fleeting moment, Paula allowed herself to forget her troubles. I caught a fleeting glimpse of them as they drove past. Carol was paying a fleeting visit to Paris. —fleetingly adverb THESAURUS time short not long: I lived in Tokyo for a short time. | Smokers have a shorter life expectancy than non-smokers. brief especially written lasting only for a short time. Brief is more formal than short, and is used especially in written English: The President will make a brief visit to Seattle today. | He coached Hingis for a brief period in the 1990s. quick [only before noun] taking a short time to do something: I had a quick look at the map. | He had a quick shower and then went out. short-lived lasting only for a short time – used especially when someone wishes that a good situation had been able to last for longer: short-lived success | The ceasefire was short-lived. | a short-lived romance | short-lived optimism about the economy fleeting lasting only for an extremely short time – used especially when someone wishes that something had been able to last for longer: a fleeting visit | a fleeting smile | She caught a fleeting glimpse of him. | a fleeting moment of happiness | a fleeting thought momentary lasting for a very short time – used especially about feelings or pauses: There was a momentary pause in the conversation. | The momentary panic ended when he found his two-year-old son waiting happily outside the store. passing [only before noun] lasting only for a short time – used especially when people are only interested in something or mention something for a short time: passing fashions | He made only a passing reference to war. | It’s just a passing phase (=it will end soon). ephemeral formal lasting only for a short time, and ending quickly like everything else in this world: Beauty is ephemeral. | the ephemeral nature of our existence | His wealth proved to be ephemeral. |
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