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• provisional
  provisional

  adjective

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

  adjective

  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

provisional

American  

[pruh-vizh-uh-nl] / prəˈvɪʒ ə 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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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noun

1. Also called: Provo.  a member of the Provisional IRA or Sinn Féin

provisional ² British  

/ prəˈvɪʒənəl, prəˈvɪʒənərɪ /

adjective

1. subject to later alteration; temporary or conditional

   a provisional decision

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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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unprovisional
  adjective
• provisionalness
  noun
• nonprovisionally
  adverb
• provisionality
  noun
• provisionally
  adverb
• nonprovisional
  adjective
• nonprovisionary
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of provisional

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

Explanation

Something provisional is temporary, in the sense that it's only valid for a while. You'll often hear provisional used to describe things such as governments, elections, contracts, and agreements, all of which can change into something permanent. People who go camping take provisions, which means supplies for the trip. This can be helpful when you're trying to use provisional properly. Remember that those provisions are, well, provisional—they're only supposed to last until the campers get home, where the real food is waiting. If you're in a rush to start filming, you might consider giving your star a provisional contract, so that you can at least get started. You'll have time to replace the provisional one with a permanent one while you film.

Example Sentences

The result is a large number of provisional ballots are cast that require more scrutiny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before election day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, must still be counted, the California secretary of state said.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Hernandez was able to vote in person, but only by filling out a provisional ballot, said Chelsea Lucktenberg, the councilmember’s deputy chief of staff.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

European lawmakers and countries struck a provisional compromise on the reform, which was launched in response to political pressure to curb migration -- paving the way for its final approval.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

Thus knowledge, in so far as we have it, is not absolute but progressive, not definitive but provisional.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• conditional
• interim
• temporary
• transitional