Ephemeral

adjective (also occasionally noun)

/ɪˈfɛm(ə)rəl/

Lasting for a very short time; transitory or fleeting. In its literal/biological sense it also means lasting only a single day, as with certain insects or flowers.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

A welfare state cannot be built on ephemeral bursts of populist spending; durable poverty alleviation demands institutional reform that outlasts any single electoral cycle.

Synonyms

transienttransitoryfleetingevanescentshort-livedmomentary

Antonyms

permanentenduringperpetualeverlasting

🌱 Word Family

ephemerally (adv), ephemerality (n), ephemeron (n), ephemera (n pl), ephemeris (n)

🔡 Root

Greek ephēmeros = lasting only a day; epi- = on, for; hēmera = day

📜 Etymology

From Greek ephēmeros 'lasting only a day, short-lived', from epi- 'on, for' + hēmera 'day'; entered English in the 1560s, originally describing day-long fevers and short-lived organisms, broadening to 'transitory' by the 1630s.

🧠 Memory Hook

Split it as "EPHEMERAL ~ epi + hemera (Greek 'day')": picture a mayfly that lives for just one day — here today, gone tomorrow.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Salient Features of Indian Society — D...

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