Words / C2

ev-uh-NESNT/ˌevəˈnesnt/

Evanescent means lasting only a very short time; quickly fading: evanescent fame, an evanescent smile. Short-lived is everyday; fleeting is a close synonym; ephemeral is a close literary cousin; transient is cooler and more technical. Literary. In speech, gone in a moment or short-lived is enough. Evanescent praises or mourns fragility — a scent, a mood, a trend. Do not use it for a two-year contract you simply dislike.

Meaning

Lasting only a very short time; quickly fading (literary).

Examples

• “Fame on the app felt evanescent.”
• “Fame on the app felt evanescent: a day of noise, then silence.”
• “The evanescent light on the wet playground was beautiful and useless for the photograph.”

Good to know

Quickly fading (literary). Everyday: short-lived / fleeting. Close: ephemeral. Of moods, fame, light, trends — not a sturdy timetable.

Near in meaning

ephemeral

New