provisional

[ pruh-vizh-uh-nl ]
/ prəˈvɪʒ ə nl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR provisional ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Also pro·vi·sion·ar·y [pruh-vizh-uh-ner-ee] /prəˈvɪʒ əˌnɛr i/ (for defs. 1, 2).

providing or serving for the time being only; existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary: a provisional government.
accepted or adopted tentatively; conditional; probationary.
(usually initial capital letter) of or being the wing of the Irish Republican Army that follows a policy of violence.

noun

Philately. a stamp that serves temporarily, pending the appearance of the regular issue, or during a temporary shortage of the regular stamps.
a provisional member of a group.
(usually initial capital letter) a member of the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army.

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Origin of provisional

First recorded in 1595–1605; provision + -al1

OTHER WORDS FROM provisional

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to provisional

conditional, interim, temporary, transitional, dependent, ephemeral, experimental, limited, makeshift, passing, qualified, rough-and-ready, stopgap, test, transient, pro tem, provisory, provisionary

Example sentences from the Web for provisional

British Dictionary definitions for provisional (1 of 2)

provisional

less commonly provisionary (prəˈvɪʒənərɪ)

/ (prəˈvɪʒənəl) /

adjective

subject to later alteration; temporary or conditionala provisional decision

noun

a postage stamp surcharged during an emergency to alter the stamp's denomination or significance until a new or regular issue is printed

Derived forms of provisional

provisionally, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for provisional (2 of 2)

Provisional
/ (prəˈvɪʒənəl) /

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

noun

Also called: Provo a member of the Provisional IRA or Sinn Féin
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012