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

Other Word Forms

• fleetingly adverb
• fleetingness noun
• unfleeting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleeting¹

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

Example Sentences

Sosnick told MarketWatch that the wild swings in the stock market this week underscore how fragile investor confidence has become, with Friday’s rally also appearing fleeting as the market’s underlying fundamentals have barely changed.

Read more on MarketWatch

Sosnick told MarketWatch that the wild swings in the stock market this week underscore how fragile investor confidence has become, with Friday’s rally also appearing fleeting as the market’s underlying fundamentals have barely changed.

Read more on MarketWatch

All things must pass, as George Harrison observed, and individual popularity was fleeting after the Beatles disbanded in 1970.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s a fleetingly private moment before they uncover their souls for the whole world.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She even had a fleeting worry about what she ought to wear for Simon’s arrival.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

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