Evanescent
adjective /ˌev.əˈnes.ənt/ — Fading from sight or memory; quickly vanishing
Definition
Tending to fade away or vanish — like smoke, like certain memories, like the feeling of a dream within minutes of waking. Present and then absent before you have quite held it.
Beyond the definition
The quality of beautiful things that do not stay. Evanescent is for what is there and then gone — beauty that is inseparable from its own disappearance.
Origin & history
From Latin 'evanescere' (to vanish) — 'e' (out) + 'vanescere' (to become empty). To become emptied out — to go from presence to absence.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The feeling after a beautiful concert is evanescent — it cannot be held, only remembered.
Dew is perfectly evanescent — present at dawn, gone before the morning is properly started.
Some relationships are evanescent by nature: intense, complete, and then finished, leaving only the memory of having been that close.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Evanescent” when the meaning fits your context: Tending to fade away or vanish — like smoke, like certain memories, like the feeling of a dream within minutes of waking. Present and then absent before you have quite held it.
Synonyms
Antonyms
permanent, lasting, enduring
Related words
Questions about this word
What does "Evanescent" mean?
Evanescent is adjective meaning: Fading from sight or memory; quickly vanishing. Tending to fade away or vanish — like smoke, like certain memories, like the feeling of a dream within minutes of waking. Present and then absent before you have quite held it.
Where does the word "Evanescent" come from?
From Latin 'evanescere' (to vanish) — 'e' (out) + 'vanescere' (to become empty). To become emptied out — to go from presence to absence.