temporary

American  

[tem-puh-rer-ee] / ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr i /

adjective

1. lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent.

   a temporary need;

   a temporary job.

   Synonyms:

   passing, impermanent

   Antonyms:

   permanent

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noun

temporaries plural

1. temp.

temporary British  

/ ˈtɛmprərɪ, ˈtɛmpərərɪ /

adjective

1. not permanent; provisional

   temporary accommodation

2. lasting only a short time; transitory

   temporary relief from pain

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noun

1. Often shortened to: temp.  a person, esp a secretary or other office worker, employed on a temporary basis

Synonym Usage

Temporary, transient, transitory agree in referring to that which is not lasting or permanent. Temporary implies an arrangement established with no thought of continuance but with the idea of being changed soon: a temporary structure. Transient describes that which is in the process of passing by, and which will therefore last or stay only a short time: a transient condition. Transitory describes an innate characteristic by which a thing, by its very nature, lasts only a short time: Life is transitory.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nontemporariness
  noun
• temporariness
  noun
• nontemporary
  adjective
• untemporary
  adjective
• temporarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• temporaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of temporary

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin temporārius, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) “time” + -ārius -ary

Explanation

Use the adjective temporary to describe something that is not permanent. "Oh my goodness! That's a tattoo," your mother might shriek. You might tell her not to worry, since it's only temporary, and will wear off in a few days. The adjective temporary is used to describe something that isn't permanent or lasts only a short time. Its roots are in the Latin word tempus, meaning "time or season." An employee who isn't a permanent addition to the staff is temporary and in this use, the word is often shortened to temp. The lull in the wind and rain is only temporary, because you know you are in the eye of the storm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

temporary temporaries

Under-21 manager Silvio Baldini had taken over on a temporary basis following Gattuso's departure.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Together, they could turn a temporary jump in energy prices into a broader inflation problem and put new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh in a difficult position.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

This week, millions of Haitians lost their temporary protected status, which shielded certain people from deportation on the grounds that they’d be sent back to horrible situations.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Even a temporary arrangement would have left unresolved the long-term management of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

On Mondays she had come to expect occasional visitors seeking temporary shelter from bad weather.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi

Ford raised its offer to $21 per hour with profit sharing and said it would make temporaries full-time workers after 90 days of continuous service.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

Presumably, some of the best candidates are employed--and aren't looking.We call that the Accolo Theory of Relativity: We're all temporaries; it's just a matter of degrees.

From Inc ● Mar. 25, 2013

Most temporaries and junior professors, however, are subservient to administrators and senior faculty in their own departments and feel wary of espousing anything too controversial.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the month goes on, Chile's writers will meet their U.S. con temporaries for panel discussions of the Chilean novel, featuring Sometime Critic Arthur Schlesinger, and theater, featuring Director Jose Quintero.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nevertheless, it did not, like most temporaries, attain its maximum brightness all at once.

From A Popular History of Astronomy During the Nineteenth Century Fourth Edition by Clerke, Agnes M. (Agnes Mary)

Related Words

• brief
• interim
• limited
• makeshift
• momentary
• provisional
• short-lived
• transitory