provisional

[ pruh-vizh-uh-nl ]

adjective

1. providing or serving for the time being only; existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary:

   a provisional government.

   Synonyms: pro tempore, ad interim, stopgap, short-term, interim

2. accepted or adopted tentatively; conditional; contingent.

   Synonyms: probationary, dependent

3. (usually initial capital letter) of or being the wing of the Irish Republican Army that follows a policy of violence.

noun

1. Philately. a stamp that serves temporarily, pending the appearance of the regular issue, or during a temporary shortage of the regular stamps.
2. a provisional member of a group.
3. Usually Provisional. a member of the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army.

Provisional

¹

/ prəˈvɪʒənəl /

adjective

1. of, designating, or relating to the unofficial factions of the IRA and Sinn Féin that became increasingly dominant following a split in 1969. The Provisional movement remained committed to a policy of terrorism until its ceasefires of the mid-1990s

noun

1. Also calledProvo a member of the Provisional IRA or Sinn Féin

provisional

²

/ prəˈvɪʒənəl; prəˈvɪʒənərɪ /

adjective

1. subject to later alteration; temporary or conditional

   a provisional decision

noun

1. a postage stamp surcharged during an emergency to alter the stamp's denomination or significance until a new or regular issue is printed

Derived Forms

• proˈvisionally, adverb

Other Words From

• pro·vision·ali·ty pro·vision·al·ness noun
• pro·vision·al·ly adverb
• nonpro·vision·al adjective
• nonpro·vision·al·ly adverb
• nonpro·vision·ary adjective
• unpro·vision·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of provisional¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; provision + -al ¹

Example Sentences

The spirit of the novel is one of doubt and questioning; its knowledge is provisional and its perspectives multiple.

From The Daily Beast

Most radical was the 1856 Provisional Constitution drafted by northern abolitionists, including John Brown.

From The Daily Beast

The book opens in December of 2003 with the story of an ambush of the convoy of Coalition Provisional Authority chief Paul Bremer.

From The Daily Beast

Some students waited in line for seven hours to get provisional ballots.

From The Daily Beast

It is better to at least guarantee the Palestinians a state even if its borders are provisional.

From The Daily Beast

The next three months were spent almost entirely in establishing provisional juntas in the different capitals.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the provisional junta of government is the greatest slave merchant here.

From Project Gutenberg

These papers were received by the junta of Provisional Government, at whose head was the Bishop.

From Project Gutenberg

The actual bridge must have the section of all members greater than those in the provisional design in the ratio k/(1-k).

From Project Gutenberg

To some extent the policy of the Provisional Government excused his change of attitude.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• conditional
• interim
• temporary
• transitional