as in curiosa
things that are important or useful for only a short time; items that were not meant to have lasting value
—usually plural
He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ephemera
The main building, which sits just beyond a little church, is a warren of small rooms crammed with ephemera like wood masks, accordions, and butter rollers that owners Emanuela and Sergio Rossi have acquired over the years.
—
Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Dec. 2024
The album’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across more than 15 CD and vinyl editions, all inclusive of collectible paper ephemera (some randomized).
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 15 Dec. 2024
Ordered thematically and chronologically, with historical ephemera accompanying artworks, the exhibition thoroughly articulates the narrative of a unique figure who nonetheless exemplified the aspirations and contradictions common to his time.
—Red Cameron, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025
References to 1950s ephemera score writing so alive that the sentences seem almost to vibrate, like particles let loose by a madman.
—Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Dec. 2024
The album’s first-week sales were aided by its availability across more than 15 CD and vinyl editions, all inclusive of collectible paper ephemera (some randomized).
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 15 Dec. 2024
Ordered thematically and chronologically, with historical ephemera accompanying artworks, the exhibition thoroughly articulates the narrative of a unique figure who nonetheless exemplified the aspirations and contradictions common to his time.
—Red Cameron, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2025
References to 1950s ephemera score writing so alive that the sentences seem almost to vibrate, like particles let loose by a madman.
—Alexander Nazaryan, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ephemera
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ephemera
Noun
-
The fish species are in constant flux, and this location is often dominated by exotics.—
Alan Taylor,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2025
-
There’s another, subtler way to work exotics into a tailored ensemble: as an accessory.—
Eric Twardzik,
Robb Report,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
But there’s much more to the apartment than a mere accumulation of objets de vertu.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
21 Jan. 2025
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Crawford is an inveterate collector, a hunter-gatherer par excellence, and her home is a testament to decades spent amassing oddities and objets de vertu of every stripe.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
28 June 2024
Noun
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Banks herself rose through the ranks in the early 1990s, when Black high-fashion models on the runway and in magazines were still a rarity.—
Essence,
Essence,
25 Feb. 2025
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In 1910, a high school diploma was a rarity in the United States, the province of elites destined to be ministers, doctors, or lawyers.—
Matthew J. Slaughter,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Opening on Valentine’s Day, Jacqueline Sullivan’s new show is all about cups: as cherished wedding gifts, antiques sitting in your grandmother’s curio cabinet, detritus at the garage sale, and collectibles reinvented by contemporary artists.—
Morgan Meier,
Curbed,
12 Feb. 2025
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The former became a cult curio; the latter remained unreleased until 2002.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ephemera. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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