ephemeral

adjective/ɪˈfem.ər.əl/
Duration

Lasting for only a short time.

ephemeral fameephemeral pleasureephemeral influence

ExampleThe author argues that the movement's influence was powerful but ephemeral.

ExampleThe critic dismissed the trend as ephemeral rather than historically significant.

Usage Scenarios

Contrast with permanence

Use ephemeral when the sentence contrasts temporary impact with lasting importance.

ExampleThe reform produced an ephemeral burst of enthusiasm but no lasting institutional change.

Evaluating cultural trends

Use it when a fashion, movement, or public mood disappears quickly.

ExampleThe supposedly revolutionary style proved ephemeral, vanishing after a single season.

Usage Guide

Use ephemeral when a GRE sentence emphasizes short duration. It often contrasts with permanent, enduring, lasting, historical, or sustained.

Strong chunks include ephemeral fame, ephemeral pleasure, ephemeral influence, and ephemeral trend. The noun should be something that can disappear quickly.

Do not use ephemeral simply for small or weak. Something ephemeral may be intense or powerful while it lasts; the key idea is brevity.

Word Forms & Word Building

Ephemeral comes from a root idea of lasting for a day, which explains its short-lived meaning.

Ephemerality is the noun formed with the suffix -ity and means the quality of being temporary.

Build GRE phrase chunks around duration: ephemeral pleasure, ephemeral fame, ephemeral trend, ephemeral influence.

Meaning Boundaries

Ephemeral vs temporary

Temporary is broad and neutral. Ephemeral is more formal and often suggests something disappears quickly or delicately.

Ephemeral vs trivial

Trivial means unimportant. Ephemeral means short-lived; a short-lived thing can still matter.

Register

Ephemeral is formal and literary, common in GRE passages about art, reputation, trends, and influence.

Memory Tricks

Think here today, gone tomorrow. That image keeps ephemeral tied to time, not size.

Pair it with lasting or enduring as the contrast pair in GRE sentence completion.

When a clue says brief, fleeting, transient, or short-lived, ephemeral is a strong candidate.

Common Traps

Do not read ephemeral as weak; the word is about duration.

Do not use ephemeral for something physically small unless the sentence emphasizes how briefly it lasts.

Watch for contrast with enduring, permanent, or lasting; those clues point toward ephemeral.