fleeting.

Lasting a very short time before passing or disappearing.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• fleeting glimpse
• fleeting thought

On the page

A fleeting glimpse of the coat was enough to make her turn back.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more fleeting; superlative most fleeting when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: moderately common.