evanescent.

Appearing briefly and then fading or vanishing.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• evanescent glow
• evanescent impression

On the page

An evanescent glow marked the ceiling after the lamp went out.

The evanescent impression of a smile unsettled her more than open anger.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Comparative more evanescent; superlative most evanescent where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.