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Synonyms

fleeting

American  
[flee-ting] / ˈfli tɪŋ /

adjective

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

    fleeting beauty;

    a fleeting glance.

    Synonyms:
    fugitive, brief, flying, passing

fleeting British  
/ ˈfliːtɪŋ /

adjective

  1. rapid and transient

    a fleeting glimpse of the sea

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • fleetingly adverb
  • fleetingness noun
  • unfleeting adjective

Etymology

Origin of fleeting

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

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.

What I've come to accept is that these moments are fleeting and that's beautiful in itself.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Middle Eastern intermediators have been racing for days to get talks going to end the war, but said the gaps between the parties remain enormous and that progress remains fleeting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

The problem, apart from perennial budget pressures, is that interest in election mechanics — a technical and arcane subject if ever there was one — is episodic and fleeting.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

“All of this suggests that the Fed’s inflation worries extend beyond weathering a fleeting wave of one-off price hikes associated with tariffs and, more recently, an energy price spike,” Stanley says.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

I watch as the fleeting flash of bright blue skims the surface of the river and is gone.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler