temporary

American  

[tem-puh-rer-ee] / ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr i /

adjective

1. lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent.

   a temporary need;

   a temporary job.

   Synonyms:

   passing, impermanent

   Antonyms:

   permanent

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noun

plural

temporaries

1. temp.

temporary British  

/ ˈtɛmprərɪ, ˈtɛmpərərɪ /

adjective

1. not permanent; provisional

   temporary accommodation

2. lasting only a short time; transitory

   temporary relief from pain

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noun

1. Often shortened to: temp.  a person, esp a secretary or other office worker, employed on a temporary basis

Related Words

Temporary, transient, transitory agree in referring to that which is not lasting or permanent. Temporary implies an arrangement established with no thought of continuance but with the idea of being changed soon: a temporary structure. Transient describes that which is in the process of passing by, and which will therefore last or stay only a short time: a transient condition. Transitory describes an innate characteristic by which a thing, by its very nature, lasts only a short time: Life is transitory.

Other Word Forms

• nontemporariness noun
• nontemporary adjective
• temporarily adverb
• temporariness noun
• untemporary adjective

Etymology

Origin of temporary

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin temporārius, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) “time” + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Sauer also had to insist that unauthorized immigrants and temporary visitors owe allegiance to their home countries rather than the U.S., thus removing their children from his tortured definition of jurisdiction.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026

The White House quickly replaced those invalidated tariffs using other, temporary means, surprising some who thought the court ruling might have offered the administration a hand with its affordability push.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Moscow has since granted soldiers a temporary waiver to continue using Telegram.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

A majority of the court's justices on Wednesday seemed unconvinced that the US should stop granting citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary US visitors.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

But the squeak of the metal frame reminded him that this was temporary.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

Related Words

• brief
• interim
• limited
• makeshift
• momentary
• provisional
• short-lived
• transitory