ephemera
Americannoun
-
a mayfly, esp one of the genus Ephemera
-
something transitory or short-lived
-
(functioning as plural) a class of collectable items not originally intended to last for more than a short time, such as tickets, posters, postcards, or labels
-
a plural of ephemeron
Etymology
Origin of ephemera
1670–80; < Greek ephḗmera, neuter plural of ephḗmeros, taken as singular; ephemeral
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Among the oil paintings, art deco ephemera and geological artifacts, I wasn’t expecting a preserved memorial from the days following the 2015 terrorist attacks, and it leveled me.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026
Stomach gnawing and hands slightly shaky, I loaded up on ephemera for fancy paninis, held together with swipes of giardiniera mayo, and splurged on some pastel-hued botanical sodas for drinking straight from the can.
From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026
Containing more than 250 images, each accompanied by a deft, deep caption, this selection of artworks, ephemera, photographs, fashion, jewels and objects is engaging, surprising and sometimes scary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
“That’s just how his brain worked,” she says of his keen eye that transformed everyday ephemera into a valuable historical archive.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025
Everything that counted, that is, in the valuation of the proscribed, and the victims who came like ephemera on the night wind to scorch and shrivel and be drained in their bright, illusive fires.
From Trail's End by Ogden, George W. (George Washington)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
