adjective
Other Word 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
Brief
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Chronically Dolores
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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.
ABS challenges produce an infinitesimal W or L, a momentary shot of euphoria or thin slice of humble pie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
This momentary cleanse won’t save them, but it will keep them going.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
About 700 miles away around the same time, a momentary greeting between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at ground zero became a dayslong online uproar.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Skyworks Solutions stock is the best-performing S&P 500 component on Tuesday as shares of the Apple supplier pick up momentum after a momentary blip on Monday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
My grandfather is stunned into a momentary silence, then says, “Einstein published a long time ago, too. Are you gonna pooh-pooh him?”
From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
