ephemera
noun
ephem·era
i-ˈfe-mə-rə 
-ˈfem-rə
plural ephemera also ephemerae
i-ˈfe-mə-rē
-ˈfem-rē
or ephemeras
1
: something of no lasting significance
—usually used in plural
2
ephemera plural
: paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles
Examples of ephemera in a Sentence
He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.
Recent Examples on the Web
In one gallery, among display cases filled with little drawings, tchotchkes, and childhood ephemera, Mesler has placed a desk and a sofa.
—
Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2024
With just a few sculptures and paintings, the show is largely composed of works on paper — scores of drawings, watercolors, notations, sketchbooks, posters, notepads, photographs, scrapbooks and other assorted ephemera — plus documentary photographs by colleagues.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2024
Sophie Vershbow dug through years of letters, diaries, and ephemera to profile her cousin Jeffrey Bomser, who died at age 38 of complications related to AIDS.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 20 June 2024
Beautiful and imbued with incredible provenance, it’s accompanied by its original box, warranty, and other ephemera.
—Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ephemera 
Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 July 2024
With just a few sculptures and paintings, the show is largely composed of works on paper — scores of drawings, watercolors, notations, sketchbooks, posters, notepads, photographs, scrapbooks and other assorted ephemera — plus documentary photographs by colleagues.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2024
Sophie Vershbow dug through years of letters, diaries, and ephemera to profile her cousin Jeffrey Bomser, who died at age 38 of complications related to AIDS.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 20 June 2024
Beautiful and imbued with incredible provenance, it’s accompanied by its original box, warranty, and other ephemera.
—Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 18 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ephemera
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ephemera.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ephemera
Cite this Entry
“Ephemera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ephemera. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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