Jump To:

• 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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

Women 40 and older accounted for about 4.3% of U.S. births in 2025, up from 1.2% in 1990, according to provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 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

The figures were provisional, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

Holding on to my hand, she watched the coffin being lowered into the earth in the provisional spot we had obtained.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• conditional
• interim
• temporary
• transitional