temporize

American  

[tem-puh-rahyz] / ˈtɛm pəˌraɪz /

especially British, temporise

verb (used without object)

temporized, temporizing

1. to be indecisive or evasive to gain time or delay acting.

   Synonyms:

   equivocate, stall, hedge

2. to comply with the time or occasion; yield temporarily or ostensibly to prevailing opinion or circumstances.

3. to treat or parley so as to gain time (usually followed bywith ).

4. to come to terms (usually followed bywith ).

5. to effect a compromise (usually followed bybetween ).

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temporize British  

/ ˈtɛmpəˌraɪz /

verb

1. to delay, act evasively, or protract a discussion, negotiation, etc, esp in order to gain time or effect a compromise

2. to adapt oneself to the circumstances or occasion, as by temporary or apparent agreement

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Other Word Forms

• nontemporizing
  adjective
• nontemporizingly
  adverb
• temporization
  noun
• temporizer
  noun
• temporizingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of temporize

First recorded in 1570–80; from Middle French temporiser “to wait one's time,” from Medieval Latin temporizāre “to put off the time, hang back, delay,” equivalent to Latin tempor- (stem of tempus ) “time” + Late Latin -izāre -ize

Explanation

The verb temporize describes stalling in order to gain time in the hopes of avoiding or preventing something. Your class might temporize so your teacher won't have time to give the pop quiz you all think she's going to give. Accent the first syllable of temporize: "TEM-puh-rise." Tempor- means "time," which you probably recognize from other time-related words such as temporary, temporal, and contemporary. Temporize comes from the Middle French word temporiser, meaning "to pass one's time, wait one's time."

Example Sentences

Dahlia Lithwick: There is a very human propensity, especially in times of crisis, to normalize and rationalize and temporize.

From Slate • Dec. 17, 2025

Rab1, and Black is left to temporize as White methodically prepares his breakthrough.

From Washington Times • Mar. 1, 2022

The universities should not temporize if that happens.

From Washington Post • Nov. 23, 2017

Petry’s tendency to temporize may be a crucial asset, according to Hajo Funke, an expert on Germany’s far right who has just published a book, “On Angry Citizens and Arsonists,” about the AfD.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 26, 2016

Yet he dared not refuse, so he sought to temporize.

From The Law of Hemlock Mountain by Lundsford, Hugh