What does "short-lived" mean?

Alive or existent for only a short period of time.

Short-lived

Common synonyms include: annual, annual yields, brief, brief explanation, brief historical period, brief physics guide.

/ʃɔɹtˈlɪvd/ adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Adjective

1
Alive or existent for only a short period of time.
"But his joy was short-lived, for his fortunes soon changed."
2
Of a radioisotope (or by extension radioelement): having a short half-life.

Adjective

"Ill-gotten gains are short-lived. The only way to make real money is to earn every penny."

From short + lived (“having a life, lifed”), equivalent to short + life + -ed. Compare Middle English short-livi, sort-levi (“short-lived”).