evanescent

American  

[ev-uh-nes-uhnt] / ˌɛv əˈnɛs ənt /

adjective

1. vanishing; fading away; fleeting.

2. tending to become imperceptible; scarcely perceptible.

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evanescent British  

/ ˌɛvəˈnɛsənt /

adjective

1. passing out of sight; fading away; vanishing

2. ephemeral or transitory

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Other Word Forms

• evanescence noun
• evanescently adverb
• nonevanescent adjective
• nonevanescently adverb
• unevanescent adjective
• unevanescently adverb

Etymology

Origin of evanescent

First recorded in 1700–1805; from Latin ēvānēscent- (stem of ēvānēscēns ) “vanishing, disappearing”; evanesce, -ent

Example Sentences

While investors walk on eggshells anticipating Fed decisions, tariff relief, and evanescent cease-fires, one company is steadily feeding investors nutritious dividends, cash flows, and earnings per share growth.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025

They’re for viewers making in-game bets on such evanescent propositions.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2024

The writing had been individual attempts to capture moments, feelings, impulses; the reshaping was to shift those evanescent feelings into a coherent form.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2024

They remain the gold standard, the blue-chip stocks, the flowering perennials amid each spring’s evanescent annuals.

From Washington Post • Jan. 27, 2023

But first they were unmade, their edges fading like the evanescent white bird, Wraith, as it phased through the skin of the sky.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor