adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of momentary
1425–75; late Middle English momentare < Latin mōmentārius. See moment, -ary
Explanation
Something that lasts for a very short time is momentary. A flash of lightning is momentary, since it blazes across the sky for only a second or two. Use the adjective momentary when you want to describe something brief or fleeting, like a momentary pause in a speech or a momentary flash of insight that pops into your head and disappears. If it lasts just a moment, it's momentary. The root word is the Latin momentarius, "of brief duration," which in turn comes from momentum, "short time, or instant."
Vocabulary lists containing momentary
Chronically Dolores
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Brief
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The Ink Witch
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’ll have a momentary effect, no doubt about it. Humans are very reactionary,” Parsons said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Other cyber stocks saw a momentary lift the week, but that optimism didn’t last long.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Leicester got off to an awful start and, despite momentary glimmers of hope, relegation was out of their hands come the final day.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Anthropic’s standoff with the Defense Department has cost it Uncle Sam as a customer, but it has brought a momentary advantage in the ferocious talent war between rival artificial intelligence labs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
I sat on a piece of roof slightly higher than the rest and waited for the momentary dizziness to pass.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
