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Showing results for temporal. Search instead for temporalness.
Synonyms

temporal

1 American  
[tem-per-uhl, tem-pruhl] / ˈtɛm pər əl, ˈtɛm prəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to time.

  2. pertaining to or concerned with the present life or this world; worldly.

    temporal joys.

  3. enduring for a time only; temporary; transitory (eternal ).

  4. Grammar.

    1. of, relating to, or expressing time.

      a temporal adjective, such as recent, or a temporal adverb, such as recently.

    2. of or relating to the tenses of a verb.

  5. secular, lay, or civil, as opposed to ecclesiastical.

noun

  1. a temporal possession, estate, or the like; temporality.

  2. something that is temporal; a temporal matter or affair.

temporal 2 American  
[tem-per-uhl, tem-pruhl] / ˈtɛm pər əl, ˈtɛm prəl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or situated near the temple or a temporal bone.

noun

  1. any of several parts in the temporal region, especially the temporal bone.

temporal 1 British  
/ ˈtɛmpərəl, ˈtɛmprəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to time

  2. of or relating to secular as opposed to spiritual or religious affairs

    the lords spiritual and temporal

  3. lasting for a relatively short time

  4. grammar of or relating to tense or the linguistic expression of time in general

    a temporal adverb
"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
temporal 2 British  
/ ˈtɛmpərəl, ˈtɛmprəl /

adjective

  1. anatomy of, relating to, or near the temple or temples

"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
temporal Scientific  
/ tĕm′pər-əl /

  1. Relating to or near the bones that form the sides and part of the base of the skull.

Other Word Forms

  • temporally adverb
  • temporalness noun

Etymology

Origin of temporal1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (adjective and noun) from Latin temporālis, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) “time” + -ālis adjective suffix; -al 1

Origin of temporal2

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin temporālis, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) temple 2 + -ālis -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"One of Monaco's distinctive features is a kind of positive secularism, which recognises the legitimate autonomy of the spiritual and temporal spheres," Guillaume Paris, a senior clergyman in Monaco, told AFP.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

We should not seek ethical guidance from addled entertainers, but we can find insights into our temporal and spiritual condition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

The compilation’s temporal breadth and depth is definitely a highlight here; there are no clunkers and no choices that feel like stretching to fill out a two-disc set.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026

Audiences will gradually realize that there are familial connections between these women, although those specifics are best left discovered within “Sound of Falling’s” temporal drift.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Those temporal modifiers all have something to do with cold weather, and that is also a deliberate choice.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.