fleeting

[ flee-ting ]

adjective

1. passing swiftly; vanishing quickly; transient; transitory:

   fleeting beauty;

   a fleeting glance.

   Synonyms: fugitive, brief, flying, passing

fleeting

/ ˈfliːtɪŋ /

adjective

1. rapid and transient

   a fleeting glimpse of the sea

Derived Forms

• ˈfleetingly, adverb
• ˈfleetingness, noun

Other Words From

• fleeting·ly adverb
• fleeting·ness noun
• un·fleeting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleeting¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; fleet ² + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Fleeting moments are captured and stored, whether we want them to be or not.

From The Daily Beast

Part of the problem is that its prevalence was equally as fleeting as a smile itself.

From The Daily Beast

What had seemed immutable and eternal (“With the Soviet Union forever”) turned out to be a fleeting episode.

From The Daily Beast

Those of us who live here are a fickle bunch with fleeting attention spans.

From The Daily Beast

That fleeting comedic moment exemplifies Aidy Bryant at her best.

From The Daily Beast

But the impression was so fleeting as to be indefinable, and soon I was busy getting everyone settled in the car.

From Project Gutenberg

True, he offered her just what I did, and with it he gave those fleeting joys that wealth brings.

From Project Gutenberg

Lady Hartledon looked back on her fleeting triumph; a triumph at the time certainly, but a short one.

From Project Gutenberg

Webber, the tall man with the tough face, watched the fleeting symbols and his face was stony.

From Project Gutenberg

But everything in this world is fleeting and transitory, and therefore it is not easy to arrive at truth.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cursory
• ephemeral
• fading
• momentary
• short-lived
• sudden
• transitory