Basic Details
Word: Ephemeral
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Lasting for only a very short time.
Synonyms: fleeting, short-lived, brief, transient
Antonyms: permanent, lasting, enduring, eternal
How to Spell Ephemeral
Syllables: e - phem - er - al
Tricky part: The f sound is spelt ph, and the vowels after it are e, e, a. Students write efemeral, ephemaral or ephemerel.
Watch out for: efemeral, ephemaral, ephemerel, ephimeral
Memory tip: Think of a phantom that appears and is gone: an e, then the ph of phantom, then hem, er and al, e-PHEM-er-al.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The rainbow was ephemeral, gone before I could find my camera.
Example 2: Fame on social media is often ephemeral.
Example 3: Rangoli patterns are ephemeral art, swept away within days.
Fun Fact
Adult mayflies often live only a day or so, and their insect order is called Ephemeroptera, from the same Greek word, ephemeros, meaning lasting a day.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to ephemeral as used in the sentence:
The joy of winning the spelling contest felt ephemeral once the next week's tests began.
a) fleeting
b) brief
c) short-lived
d) lasting
Show answer
d) lasting. Ephemeral means lasting only a short time, so lasting is the opposite; the rest mean the same as ephemeral.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. ephemeral 2. perminent 3. neccessary 4. occassional
a) needed or essential
b) happening now and then
c) lasting for ever or for a very long time
d) lasting a very short time
Show answer
d) lasting a very short time. Permanent has an a after the m, necessary has one c and occasional has one s; ephemeral is spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters:
e_hem_ral
a) f, e
b) p, a
c) f, i
d) p, e
Show answer
d) p, e. The f sound is ph, Greek style, and the vowel after m is e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A soap bubble is a good example of something ____.
a) eternal
b) heavy
c) enormous
d) ephemeral
Show answer
d) ephemeral
2. Which word means nearly the same as ephemeral?
a) ancient
b) transient
c) constant
d) eternal
Show answer
b) transient
