fleetingly C2+ Topic:Time US /ˈflitɪŋli/ UK /ˈfliːtɪŋli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv for a very short time; briefly Their eyes met fleetingly across the crowded hall. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · for a very short time; briefly brieflymomentarilytransientlyephemerally ↔ Opposites permanentlyenduringlylastingly Word family Related forms fleetfleetingfleetingness Etymology AI details From fleeting (present participle of fleet, from Old English flēotan 'to glide') + the adverbial suffix -ly. flēotan Old English View etymology graph -> Topics Time Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # fleetingly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /ˈflitɪŋli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈfliːtɪŋli/ ## Meanings 1. for a very short time; briefly ## Examples - Their eyes met fleetingly across the crowded hall. ## Synonyms - briefly - momentarily - transiently - ephemerally ## Antonyms - permanently - enduringly - lastingly ## Related Forms - fleet - fleeting - fleetingness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: flēotan ## Etymology From fleeting (present participle of fleet, from Old English flēotan 'to glide') + the adverbial suffix -ly. ## AI Etymology Fleetingly comes from fleeting (present participle of fleet, from Old English flēotan 'to glide') + the adverbial suffix -ly. The etymological trail includes Old English flēotan. As an adverb, fleetingly means for a very short time; briefly. The same family is visible in related forms such as fleet, fleeting, and fleetingness. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history. ## Topics - Time - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown