temporary

American

[tem-puh-rer-ee] / ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr i /

adjective

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

a temporary need;
a temporary job.

Synonyms:

passing, impermanent

Antonyms:

permanent

noun

plural

temporaries

temp.

temporary British

/ ˈtɛmprərɪ, ˈtɛmpərərɪ /

adjective

not permanent; provisional

temporary accommodation
lasting only a short time; transitory

temporary relief from pain

"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

noun

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

"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

Related Words

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

nontemporariness noun
nontemporary adjective
temporarily adverb
temporariness noun
untemporary adjective

Etymology

Origin of temporary

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

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.

Bosses at two under-fire health boards have banked temporary 10% pay increases for spearheading a planned shakeup of Scotland's health service.

From BBC

Another Olympic Village, this one temporary and consisting of 377 mobile homes, has been built in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the venue for the women's alpine skiing and curling events, as well as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton.

From Barron's

On Friday, the AMP said port operator APM Terminals, part of the Maersk Group, would be a "temporary administrator" of the Balboa and Cristobal ports on either end of the waterway.

From Barron's

The temporary work stoppages have even affected Hollywood television productions.

From Los Angeles Times

Most are on temporary phone numbers and many have left their usual digital devices at home.

From BBC

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