fleetingly
3
5.5
- adverb
- /ˈflitɪŋli/
- In the movie Topkapi, black descendants of the Mediterranean slave trade fleetingly appear in a shot of Istanbul.
- only fleetingly
- see fleetingly
Examples
-
Frank Burnett's success was academic, if only fleetingly so.
Academic text (2014) -
Lisa passes behind them, smiling fleetingly at Milo.
Fiction book (2001) -
We met fleetingly before as well.
-
And she has experienced, however fleetingly, what must have been grace.
Fiction book (1991) -
Viewers construct a mental image of an object that they may have seen only fleetingly or long ago.
Academic text (1997) -
Similarly, two recent encyclopedias of literary theory mention him fleetingly or not at all.
Academic text (1997) -
Summers have passed fleetingly since I was your age, but I remember each with poignant clarity.
-
The strong-smelling blue smoke wrapped itself around us, and I noticed fleetingly that her fingers were cold.
Fiction book (1995) -
James Sanders' essay on the canon does touch on textual matters, but only fleetingly.
Academic text (2007) -
We met fleetingly before as well.
Synonyms
271
2.9
For a short time
197
3.2
For a short time and not permanent
57
3.7
For a very short time
1
6.8
For a short time before returning to normal
1
1.5
For a little time
1
5.9
Briefly and only a little for a short time
1
8.2
Lasts for a very short time
1
7.9
For a short time
1
8.7
For a short time
Antonyms
How Briefly
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word fleetingly comes from fleet, an old word meaning 'fast'. Think of fleet-footed runners or a fleet of ships moving quickly, so something that happens fleetingly lasts only a very short time.