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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

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Etymology

Origin of provisional

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

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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

It noted that its death toll was provisional and could rise.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

New orders, a key indicator of future business activity, were down 10.6 percent from a month earlier due to a drop in large-scale domestic orders, according to provisional data from statistics agency Destatis.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

The provisional total for Channel crossings this year is 19,451.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

France has seen around 98,000 hectares destroyed by wildfires this year, the highest level since 1976, according to provisional figures.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

I’m not sure if it was for Tommy’s benefit, or for any onlookers’, but I’d kept my posture looking very provisional, and at one point made a move to carry on with my stroll.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Provisional inflation data for August will be the key focus in the eurozone in the coming week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday hailed the start of the deal's implementation, stating on X: "Provisional application will show the agreement’s tangible benefits."

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

Dissident republicanism is made up of various groups which broke away from the Provisional IRA, including the Continuity IRA and New IRA.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 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

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Related Words

• conditional
• interim
• temporary
• transitional

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