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

Following Graham's death, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has the power to appoint a temporary replacement to serve out the remainder of Graham's term, which ends in January.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Haitian immigrants across the country received an eleventh-hour relief Friday as the government extended work authorizations for Haitians with temporary protected status.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

The coalition has asked the companies not to close the transaction until the legal challenge is resolved, and warned it would seek a temporary restraining order if they refuse.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

“A temporary break of ceasefire does not mean that the market is going to think we’re reverting to March, April conflict levels,” Doshi said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Many lives were saved, but months passed before anyone felt the worst was over; protecting property, restoring sanitation facilities, building temporary shelters, and supplying food and clean water were constant challenges.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

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

Included in the employed are part-time workers and temporaries.

From Time Magazine Archive

All temporaries would be ineligible for welfare or unemployment benefits, but they could send their children to public schools.

From Time Magazine Archive

The greatest, however, that they could get up was, that I always paid the Wanyamuezi "temporaries" more than they got, though "permanents."

From The Discovery of the Source of the Nile by Speke, John Hanning

Related Words

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