temporize
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to be indecisive or evasive to gain time or delay acting.
- Synonyms:
- equivocate, stall, hedge
-
to comply with the time or occasion; yield temporarily or ostensibly to prevailing opinion or circumstances.
-
to treat or parley so as to gain time (usually followed bywith ).
-
to come to terms (usually followed bywith ).
-
to effect a compromise (usually followed bybetween ).
verb
-
to delay, act evasively, or protract a discussion, negotiation, etc, esp in order to gain time or effect a compromise
-
to adapt oneself to the circumstances or occasion, as by temporary or apparent agreement
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing temporize
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
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
The only thing that occurred to him to do was to temporize.
From The Golden Web by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)
In the interim, however, this technology comes to us wrapped in some unprepossessing, temporized designs, like this fat-bellied seal in a plastic waistcoat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
But whereas the airport example is spatialized and temporized in physically contained senses, internet dwell time is able to insinuate itself into so many other places and moments of everyday life.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2019
Anthony Kennedy, long the Court’s swing vote, has temporized.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 19, 2018
But Mr. Richardson is right: She has temporized in response to atrocity.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2018
“Ah just had one,” Janie temporized with her conscience.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
It should be said that Andersson enjoys a clear advantage amid all this temporizing, but it takes just one suboptimal move for Black’s strategy to pay off.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 8, 2022
Amleth, as he is called, is no student philosopher, temporizing over the nuances of being and nonbeing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
US history accordingly reveals a rich tapestry of legal suits, counter suits, interstate conflicts, water theft, treaties, compacts, agreements, accords, lobbying, bullying and temporizing.
From Nature ● Feb. 21, 2017
I think that your husband’s temporizing may be a better strategy than outright refusal.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2015
Viewed in the code of larrigan-land, the situation was one that didn’t admit of temporizing or mediation.
From King Spruce, A Novel by Day, Holman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
