Momentary means something that lasts for a very short period of time, or is temporary in nature. It can also refer to an event or experience that happens suddenly and quickly, often leaving little or no lasting impact.
Usage examples
The loud noise startled me for a momentary second.
I caught a momentary glimpse of the sunrise before the clouds covered it completely.
She paused for a momentary hesitation before answering the question.
The power outage was only momentary, and the lights came back on within seconds.
The child's momentary distraction allowed his sister to snatch the toy from his hands.
I experienced a momentary lapse in memory and couldn't recall her name for a few seconds.
The storm caused a momentary interruption in the live broadcast.
I felt a momentary surge of excitement as I received the news of my promotion.
The driver's momentary lapse in concentration resulted in a minor accident.
The bright flash of lightning illuminated the sky for a momentary instant.
But more than that, all experience is experienced eminently and unlike in creaturely experience, characterized by the perpetual perishing of the subjective immediacy of momentary experience, all experience is preserved everlastingly, with no loss of immediacy. (religion-online.org)
From Scott Carson to Man of the Match Peter Odemwingie up front, West Brom were magnificent, a joy to behold, and had it not been for a couple of momentary lapse of concentration at the back near the end, when conceding two late goals to Samir Nasri, it would have been a perfect performance from West Brom. (football-bookmakers.com)
The Mazdaspeed3 forces you to pay attention to what you're doing when driving quickly — you can't drive this car in the classic poser position with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the shifter — but its relatively safe front - drive architecture and unobtrusive traction control system don't punish you for momentary lapses when you're just headed home for the day. (cnet.com)