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Glite Dictionary
fleeting

fleeting

66 6.3
Lasting only a short time
  • adjective
  • /ˈflitɪŋ/
translation icon : fugaz
  • Feelings, thoughts and emotions are just fleeting moments coming and going.
  • a fleeting moment
  • a fleeting glimpse
  • capture a fleeting moment

What I find though is how fleeting that state of happiness is.

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Examples

  • Her happiness was just a fleeting feeling that disappeared by morning.

  • OK, it's like the present moment is so fleeting always.

    Profound Pondering

  • Because if every moment is fleeting, then we lose so much.

  • This may very well be your only fleeting moment at the top of the mountain.

    National Champions (2021)

  • And for a fleeting moment, something passed between them.

    Babe (1995)

  • Let's make this fleeting moment last forever.

  • What I find though is how fleeting that state of happiness is.

    DoctorRamani

  • Is there in all the wide world a concept more fleeting, more elusive?

    Fiction book (1992)

  • It just made me realize that life is fleeting.

    Fall (2022)

  • I've never seen Miriam afraid, not even for a fleeting moment as now.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

brief
vsfleeting
587 2.0

Using few words or lasting only a short time

is used mainly for time brevity rather than brevity of words
temporary
vsfleeting
557 3.0

Lasting for a short time and not permanent

is more specifically about very short and rapid endings
short-term
vsfleeting
225 3.3

Lasting only for a little time

emphasizes briefness and quick end rather than planned short use
short-lived
vsfleeting
49 3.9

Lasting only for a short time

focuses more on short end rather than simply having a short lifespan
momentary
vsfleeting
44 4.8

Lasting only a very short time

is about short duration but can apply to slightly longer brief moments
transient
vsfleeting
38 7.0

Lasting only a short time and not permanent

is narrower, stressing very short and quick ending
fugitive
vsfleeting
23 7.4

Lasting only a short time and ending quickly

is about short duration rather than general time length
ephemeral
vsfleeting
17 8.6

Lasting only a very short time

stresses speed of ending rather than formal transience
transitory
vsfleeting
11 6.8

Lasting only a short time

is more about quick end rather than intended nonpermanence
evanescent
vsfleeting
  • Literature
3 8.8

Lasting only a short time before it disappears

emphasizes brief duration rather than the image of fading away
momentaneous
vsfleeting
  • Archaic
9.9

Lasting for a very short time

is broader, covering briefness generally, not only single instants
fugacious
vsfleeting
  • Formal
9.9

Present for only a short time

is more neutral, highlighting short duration rather than vanishing imagery
passing
vsfleeting
4.9

Lasting only for a short time

highlights brief duration rather than temporary state
non-permanent
vsfleeting
3.8

Lasting only for a short time

focuses more narrowly on very short, rapidly ending duration

Antonyms

permanent
650 3.2

Continuing for a long time and unlikely to change

lasting
38 3.1

Continuing to be present or useful for a long time

How Brief

ephemeral
17 8.6
momentary
44 4.8
fleeting
66 6.3
short-lived
49 3.9
brief
587 2.0

Surface Forms

fleeting positive

Morphology

fleeting = fleet (semi-transparent) = fleet + ing

The word 'fleeting' is derived from 'fleet' with the addition of '-ing', but the specific meaning of 'brief and passing quickly' is not fully transparent to all learners.

Etymology

Fleeting comes from fleet, an old word meaning 'moving quickly', and it brings to mind something 'floating' or passing by fast. So something fleeting lasts only a very short time because it seems to flow or pass away quickly.