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 called: Provo. 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of provisional¹

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

Example Sentences

The judge concluded there were "serious doubts" over the legality of the certificate, a statement from the Paris court said, adding the decision was provisional until a final judgment is delivered.

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"Pending the final judgment, given the provisional nature of this decision and in accordance with the instructions of its client, Christie's is suspending the sale of La Pascaline," it told AFP.

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This group made up 9.7% of those claiming universal credit in June 2025, according to provisional government statistics published for the first time in July.

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A provisional cause of death was given as a compressive head injury, consistent with a dog bite.

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The 2024 provisional figures show a further 85 treasure finds in Wales and nine in Northern Ireland, which has additional restrictions on searching for archaeological objects.

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Related Words

• conditional 
• interim 
• temporary 
• transitional