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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 /

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

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

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

See Examples For:

provisional Provisional

A provisional toll put the number of excess deaths between mid-June and mid-August at 32,000 across Europe.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

A generation is learning, before it can vote, that its account of its own life is provisional.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Iranian negotiators have held discussions with Oman in recent weeks over a provisional arrangement to manage shipping through the strait, but no tangible outcome has yet emerged.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Your provisional income, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, includes half of your Social Security benefits plus other taxable income and tax-exempt interest.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

That is, essentially, a way of recognizing the provisional and imperfect nature of scientific reasoning.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Provisional Met Office data shows that first 11 days of July brought most places less than 20% of their usual monthly rainfall.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Provisional births data for 2025 reflects more than 99% of birth records analyzed by the federal government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

The Provisional IRA - the main armed republican paramilitary group for most of the Troubles - declared a ceasefire in the run up to the agreement and officially ended its violent campaign in 2005.

From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026

Provisional purchasing managers’ surveys for March in the U.S. and Europe will gauge the Middle East war’s impact on sentiment and business activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026

In October 1917 the radical Bolshevik Party took advantage of people’s anger over World War I and overthrew the Provisional Government.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• conditional
• interim
• temporary
• transitional