Evanescent
/ˌevəˈnesnt/adjective
Something that disappears quickly or fades away.
The rainbow is an evanescent beauty.
Often appears as...
- evanescent light
- evanescent moment
adjective
In science, it means a field or wave that tapers to zero outside a certain range.
In an evanescent wave, the energy of the vibration decays exponentially with distance from the boundary.
Often appears as...
- evanescent field
- evanescent wave
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
adjective
Something that disappears quickly or fades away.
The rainbow is an evanescent beauty.
Often appears as...
- evanescent light
- evanescent moment
adjective
In science, it means a field or wave that tapers to zero outside a certain range.
In an evanescent wave, the energy of the vibration decays exponentially with distance from the boundary.
Often appears as...
- evanescent field
- evanescent wave
Usage tips
Formal
Technical
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Quick Disappearance
Use 'evanescent' to describe something that fades out or ends rapidly, not just physically but perhaps in memory or importance.
The evanescent flash of a shooting star captivated me.
Pro Tip 2/3Seldom Negative
'Evanescent' often has a neutral or slightly positive connotation, not usually used in a negative context.
The evanescent glow of city lights at night was enchanting.
Pro Tip 3/3Poetic Expression
'Evanescent' is popular in literary or poetic contexts for its descriptive elegance.
Her laughter was evanescent, lingering briefly in the air before fading.
Compare with
briefephemeralfadefleetwideimpermanentmomentarypasstransient
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Video examples
The future of lying -...
what that means is that all the people before there was any writing every word that they ever said every utterance disappeared no trace evanescent gone so we've been evolving to talk in a way in
Video examples
Jeff Hancock: 3 types of...
all the people before there was any writing, every word that they ever said, every utterance disappeared. No trace. Evanescent. Gone. So we've been evolving to talk in a way in which
Video examples
The future of lying -...
what that means is that all the people before there was any writing every word that they ever said every utterance disappeared no trace evanescent gone so we've been evolving to talk in a way in
Video examples
Jeff Hancock: 3 types of...
all the people before there was any writing, every word that they ever said, every utterance disappeared. No trace. Evanescent. Gone. So we've been evolving to talk in a way in which
Example 1 of 2
Quote examples
Danielle Trussoni
American Writer
As a girl, I used to zip myself into a snowsuit, fall into the deepest snowdrift I could find and sweep my arms and legs into the powder, making snow angels that would crumble within minutes of their genesis. Despite their rapid disappearance, something about these frozen, evanescent angels has stayed with me ever since.
Quote examples
Jeffrey Eugenides
American Novelist
I think the suicides in my first book came from the idea of growing up in Detroit. If you grow up in a city like that you feel everything is perishing, evanescent and going away very quickly.
Quote examples
William Godwin
English Writer
The soul of man is one of those subtle and evanescent substances that, as long as they remain still, the organ of sight does not remark; it must become agitated to become visible.
Quote examples
Jacques Lacan
French Psychologist
We emphasize that such a form of communication is not absent in man, however evanescent a naturally given object may be for him, split as it is in its submission to symbols.
Quote examples
Camille Paglia
American Author
If people want to be better writers, they can't just read the blogs! You've got to look at something that's outside this rushing world of evanescent words.
Quote examples
David Shields
American Author
I want a nonfiction that explores our shifting, unstable, multiform, evanescent experience in and of the world.
Quote examples
John Updike
American Novelist
The substance of fictional architecture is not bricks and mortar but evanescent consciousness.
Quote examples
Harrison Ford
American Actor
The actor's popularity is evanescent; applauded today, forgotten tomorrow.
Quote examples
Samuel Butler
British Poet
Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.
Quote examples
Danielle Trussoni
American Writer
As a girl, I used to zip myself into a snowsuit, fall into the deepest snowdrift I could find and sweep my arms and legs into the powder, making snow angels that would crumble within minutes of their genesis. Despite their rapid disappearance, something about these frozen, evanescent angels has stayed with me ever since.
Quote examples
Jeffrey Eugenides
American Novelist
I think the suicides in my first book came from the idea of growing up in Detroit. If you grow up in a city like that you feel everything is perishing, evanescent and going away very quickly.
Quote examples
William Godwin
English Writer
The soul of man is one of those subtle and evanescent substances that, as long as they remain still, the organ of sight does not remark; it must become agitated to become visible.
Quote examples
Jacques Lacan
French Psychologist
We emphasize that such a form of communication is not absent in man, however evanescent a naturally given object may be for him, split as it is in its submission to symbols.
Quote examples
Camille Paglia
American Author
If people want to be better writers, they can't just read the blogs! You've got to look at something that's outside this rushing world of evanescent words.
Quote examples
David Shields
American Author
I want a nonfiction that explores our shifting, unstable, multiform, evanescent experience in and of the world.
Quote examples
John Updike
American Novelist
The substance of fictional architecture is not bricks and mortar but evanescent consciousness.
Quote examples
Harrison Ford
American Actor
The actor's popularity is evanescent; applauded today, forgotten tomorrow.
Quote examples
Samuel Butler
British Poet
Human life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning.
Example 1 of 9
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