Dictionary.com

temporary

[ tem-puh-rer-ee ]
/ ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr i /
See synonyms for: temporary / temporaries / temporarily on Thesaurus.com

adjective

lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent: a temporary need; a temporary job.

noun, plural tem·po·rar·ies.

an office worker hired, usually through an agency on a per diem basis, for a short period of time.

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Origin of temporary

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

synonym study for temporary

1. 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 WORDS FROM temporary

Words nearby temporary

temporal pole, temporal process, temporal ridge, temporal summation, tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis, temporary, temporary cartilage, temporary denture, temporary duty, temporary hardness, temporary life annuity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to temporary

limited, short-lived, brief, makeshift, interim, transitory, provisional, momentary, short, supply, perishable, alternate, ephemeral, fugitive, summary, acting, transient, mortal, impermanent, volatile

Example sentences from the Web for temporary

British Dictionary definitions for temporary

temporary
/ (ˈtɛmpərərɪ, ˈtɛmprərɪ) /

adjective

not permanent; provisionaltemporary accommodation
lasting only a short time; transitorytemporary relief from pain

noun plural -raries

a person, esp a secretary or other office worker, employed on a temporary basisOften shortened to: temp

Derived forms of temporary

temporarily, adverbtemporariness, noun

Word Origin for temporary

C16: from Latin temporārius, from tempus time
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