1
as in interim
intended to last, continue, or serve for a limited time
will form a provisional government until a new leader can be elected
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in temporary
serving in a position for the time being
he was appointed provisional executor of the industrialist's vast estate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of provisional
Here are the four limited metal tags and what each color means:
Buyer provisional (purple): Refers to a buyer who has expressed interest in purchasing something but hasn't fully committed yet.
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Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
In Portugal, a provisional temperature of 46.6 degrees Celsius (115.9 Fahrenheit) was recorded in the city of Mora, about 80 miles east of Lisbon, according to the country’s weather service IPMA, which would be a new national record for June.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
Kentridge speaks of provisional coherence as the concept central to his practice: that meaning, form, even understanding are never fixed and certainly never absolute.
—Nargess Banks, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Getting even that provisional approval required calls and follow-ups with multiple city departments.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for provisional
Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
In Portugal, a provisional temperature of 46.6 degrees Celsius (115.9 Fahrenheit) was recorded in the city of Mora, about 80 miles east of Lisbon, according to the country’s weather service IPMA, which would be a new national record for June.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 1 July 2025
Kentridge speaks of provisional coherence as the concept central to his practice: that meaning, form, even understanding are never fixed and certainly never absolute.
—Nargess Banks, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Getting even that provisional approval required calls and follow-ups with multiple city departments.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for provisional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provisional
Adjective
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Carrington, 28, takes on Mateus Heita for the WBC interim featherweight world title.—
Aaron Tolentino,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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Trump tapped Habba to serve as interim U.S. attorney in late March and nominated her on July 1 to be the U.S. attorney in a permanent capacity, which would have removed her interim status by the end of this week.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
Adjective
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The court's ruling extending its temporary restraining order is disappointing.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
26 July 2025
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The following year, many non-certified staff were given a temporary $3.50 an hour pay bump using an influx of funding the district received amid the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Krista Johnson,
The Courier-Journal,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provisional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provisional. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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