short-lived

• shortlived

From short + life + -ed.

• (US) IPA^(key): /ʃɔɹtˈlɪvd/, /ʃɔɹtˈlaɪvd/; see usage notes below

short-lived (comparative shorter-lived, superlative shortest-lived)

1. Alive or existent for only a short period of time.

   But his joy was short-lived, for his fortunes soon changed.

• The pronunciation /ʃɔɹtˈlaɪvd/ (the second syllable rhyming with hived) is more consistent with the etymology (since the term comes from the noun life rather than the verb live), and was formerly more common; however, the pronunciation /ʃɔɹtˈlɪvd/ (the second syllable pronounced as the verb lived) is more common today.

• See also Thesaurus:ephemeral

• brief
• fleeting
• momentary