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View synonyms for temporary

temporary

[ tem-puh-rer-ee ]

adjective

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

    a temporary need;

    a temporary job.

    Synonyms: passing, impermanent

    Antonyms: permanent



noun

, plural tem·po·rar·ies.

temporary

/ ˈtɛmprərɪ; ˈtɛmpərərɪ /

adjective

  1. not permanent; provisional

    temporary accommodation

  2. 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

  1. a person, esp a secretary or other office worker, employed on a temporary basis Often shortened totemp
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈtemporariness, noun
  • ˈtemporarily, adverb
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Other Words From

  • tem·po·rar·i·ly [tem-p, uh, -, rair, -, uh, -lee, tem, -p, uh, -rer-], adverb
  • tem·po·rar·i·ness noun
  • non·tem·po·rar·i·ness noun
  • non·tem·po·rar·y adjective
  • un·tem·po·rar·y adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of temporary1

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

Origin of temporary1

C16: from Latin temporārius, from tempus time
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Synonym Study

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.
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Example Sentences

Officials and experts have said it makes sense to vaccinate even those temporary residents, as it still protects the rest of the community.

From Vox

People think that recessions are temporary, but they’re not.

From Fortune

GameStop frenzy leaves behind a mess for Wall Street regulators“There are currently no temporary limits to increasing your positions,” stated Robinhood’s investing webpage as of Thursday morning.

The city was the first in the state to introduce a measure requiring some grocery retailers to give workers a temporary hourly pay bump during the pandemic.

Even so, some Oceanside residents have questioned how a seemingly temporary District 1 resident can represent them on the City Council, and whether the process short-changed others running for the seat.

The bill, which passed Congress without opposition, is only a temporary fix and expires in 2015.

Workers built a temporary rail track through the city to move the statue in a process that took three days.

On Monday, de Blasio called for a temporary halt to protests until after the funerals of the two slain officers.

This month a judge intervened and granted a 30-day temporary stay on police action against Abbott.

Or are the risks so great that a temporary ban is necessary?

It was only a hut of rough boards, carelessly knocked together for a shepherd's temporary home.

But her attention was all absorbed by the swiftly executed act by which Garnache had gained at least a temporary advantage.

Close to the wagon in which our hero lay the natives had erected a temporary hut of grass, about six feet high.

Industrial society is therefore mobile, elastic, standing at any moment in a temporary and unstable equilibrium.

For these plays were not the work of a professional writer, but the recreation of a (temporary) professional soldier.

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temporarilytemporary duty