momentary
adj.adj. lasting for only a very short time. You use this to describe a feeling or event that happens and then disappears almost immediately.
adj. lasting for a very brief period; ephemeral or transient in nature. Typically used to describe psychological states, physical sensations, or brief interruptions.
There was a momentary silence before she spoke.
The driver experienced a momentary lapse in concentration, but luckily he regained control of the car quickly.
The artist captured a momentary play of light across the valley, freezing a transition that would have been lost to the human eye seconds later.
From Middle English momentare, from Late Latin mōmentārius (“of brief duration”), from mōmentum (“a short time, an instant”). By surface analysis, moment + -ary.
Often used attributively before a noun; frequently paired with nouns like 'silence', 'lapse', 'confusion', or 'distraction'.
He is a momentary personHe is a transient personMomentary describes the duration of an event or state, not the permanent character or nature of a person.