ephemeral

/i'femərəl/ Cách viết khác : (ephemerous) /i'femərəs/

Thân thiện

The morning dew on the spiderweb is ephemeral.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Lasting for a very short time; transient: Describes something that exists, lives, or is enjoyed for only a brief period before disappearing or ending.

2. Noun:

   • A short-lived thing: Something, such as a plant or insect, that has a very brief lifespan or period of existence.

Examples

• Adjective:

  • The beauty of cherry blossoms is famously ephemeral.
  • He was not interested in ephemeral trends, preferring timeless art.
  • The ephemeral nature of social media fame is well-documented.

• Noun:

  • The mayfly is a classic example of an ephemeral. (Here, "ephemeral" refers to the insect itself.)
  • These wildflowers are ephemerals, blooming for just a few weeks each spring.

Advanced Usage

• Literary/Philosophical Context: Often used to comment on the transient nature of life, beauty, or human achievements.
  • The poet meditated on the ephemeral quality of human glory.
• Scientific/Biological Context: Used technically for organisms with very short life cycles.
  • The study focused on ephemeral pools and the unique organisms that inhabit them.

Variants and Related Words

• Ephemerality (n): The quality of being ephemeral.
  • The artist's work explores themes of ephemerality and decay.
• Ephemerally (adv): In an ephemeral manner.
  • The light shone ephemerally through the breaking clouds.

Synonyms

• Transient: Lasting only for a short time.
• Fleeting: Passing swiftly; vanishing quickly.
• Transitory: Not permanent; temporary.
• Evanescent: Tending to vanish like vapor; fleeting.
• Fugacious (formal/literary): Lasting a short time.

Antonyms

• Permanent: Lasting or intended to last indefinitely.
• Enduring: Lasting over a long period.
• Eternal: Lasting or existing forever.
• Perennial: Lasting for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• (As) ephemeral as a rainbow: Used to emphasize extreme brevity and fragility.
  • Their agreement was as ephemeral as a rainbow, dissolving as soon as the crisis passed.
• Ephemeral as a dream: Highlights the insubstantial, fleeting quality of something.
  • The peace they found was ephemeral as a dream.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. lasting a very short time
   • the ephemeral joys of childhood
   • a passing fancy
   • youth's transient beauty
   • love is transitory but it is eternal
   • fugacious blossoms

Noun

1. anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form

Từ đồng nghĩa

• passing
• short-lived
• transient
• transitory
• fugacious
• ephemeron