temporary
Americanadjective
noun
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temporaries
plural
adjective
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not permanent; provisional
temporary accommodation
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lasting only a short time; transitory
temporary relief from pain
noun
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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nontemporarinessnoun
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temporarinessnoun
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nontemporaryadjective
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untemporaryadjective
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temporarilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of temporary
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin temporārius, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) “time” + -ārius -ary
Explanation
Use the adjective temporary to describe something that is not permanent. "Oh my goodness! That's a tattoo," your mother might shriek. You might tell her not to worry, since it's only temporary, and will wear off in a few days. The adjective temporary is used to describe something that isn't permanent or lasts only a short time. Its roots are in the Latin word tempus, meaning "time or season." An employee who isn't a permanent addition to the staff is temporary and in this use, the word is often shortened to temp. The lull in the wind and rain is only temporary, because you know you are in the eye of the storm.
Vocabulary lists containing temporary
It's About Time: Chron and Temp
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"My Superpowers"
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Essential Word Roots: Chron and Temp
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
State officials familiar with the travel records said the two temporary attorneys general appointed during Paxton’s suspension did not take the trips listed on the state police travel logs.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Economist Pearce agreed but warned the release is only a temporary solution.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The US Treasury issued a temporary license Friday to enable Russian diesel to flow to global markets through April 2027.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Norway is looking to foster a discussion around the use of AI-enabled glasses in public spaces, as privacy concerns prompted the country’s government to propose a temporary ban in certain areas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
To put a temporary spell on a bakehouse would be well within her capacity for mischief.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Ford raised its offer to $21 per hour with profit sharing and said it would make temporaries full-time workers after 90 days of continuous service.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
Presumably, some of the best candidates are employed--and aren't looking.We call that the Accolo Theory of Relativity: We're all temporaries; it's just a matter of degrees.
From Inc ● Mar. 25, 2013
Most temporaries and junior professors, however, are subservient to administrators and senior faculty in their own departments and feel wary of espousing anything too controversial.
From Time Magazine Archive
Included in the employed are part-time workers and temporaries.
From Time Magazine Archive
The greatest, however, that they could get up was, that I always paid the Wanyamuezi "temporaries" more than they got, though "permanents."
From The Discovery of the Source of the Nile by John Hanning Speke
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
