probationary

Rarely pro·ba·tion·al

[proh-bey-shuh-ner-ee]

adjective

1. being or relating to an act, process, or period of testing, as of a person’s character, performance, qualifications, etc..

   All our new hires have probationary status until their three-month review.

2. Law.

   1. relating to probation, a method of dealing with offenders, especially youth guilty of minor crimes or first offenses, by allowing them to go at large under the supervision of a probation officer.

      The judge’s options include sending the minor to a probationary camp for juvenile offenders.

   2. relating to conditional release.

      Clients who have completed the probationary period are discharged from the program and released from their prison sentence.

3. Education.,  being or relating to a trial period or condition of students who are being permitted to redeem academic failures, misconduct, etc..

   Remediation plans for each probationary student must be submitted to the department Chair by midterm.

Other Word Forms

• unprobationary adjective
• unprobational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of probationary¹

probation ( def. ) + -ary ( def. )

Example Sentences

Though he had been in the civil service for more than two years, a recent promotion designated him as a probationary worker—a category of staff among the first targeted for layoffs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The probationary firings and two subsequent rounds of buyouts will bring staffing at the DOT down by 12% since Trump took office.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The influenza division at the CDC lost staff to probationary firings as well as on Valentine's Day when further staff were fired en masse.

Read more on Salon

Instead, she was one of about 30 probationary employees who were abruptly terminated on Feb. 13, just weeks into the new administration.

Read more on Salon

The influenza division at the CDC lots staff to probationary firings as well as on Valentine's Day when further staff were fired en masse.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• empirical 
• preliminary 
• unproved