1
as in mundane
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven
do not worry about temporal concerns, but instead focus on spiritual matters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in secular
not involving religion or religious matters
administrators on campus are in place to deal with students' temporal needs, and spiritual advisors are available to help students with their nontemporal needs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of temporal
While scholars like Resnik, Hosseini, Friesen, Floridi and Lin have proposed meaningful reforms, such as ethical AI education, diverse oversight and explainability principles, few focus on the evolving temporal relationship between humans and algorithms.
—
Taposh Roy, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
The temporal oscillation from the day and the night, or the hot and the cold, becomes this spatial variation in the mound itself.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 12 June 2025
As the Illinois General Assembly was speeding to adjourn late last month, a Lake County lawmaker had spiritual leanings overtake his temporal duties.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Polish-born and Paris-based, Piotr Kamler is an experimental animator whose work explores temporal distortions and spatial paradoxes, conjuring here a slow-creeping sense of entrapment intensified by an unnerving soundscape—a clear antecedent to Barker’s nightmarish visions.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for temporal
Taposh Roy, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
The temporal oscillation from the day and the night, or the hot and the cold, becomes this spatial variation in the mound itself.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 12 June 2025
As the Illinois General Assembly was speeding to adjourn late last month, a Lake County lawmaker had spiritual leanings overtake his temporal duties.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2025
Polish-born and Paris-based, Piotr Kamler is an experimental animator whose work explores temporal distortions and spatial paradoxes, conjuring here a slow-creeping sense of entrapment intensified by an unnerving soundscape—a clear antecedent to Barker’s nightmarish visions.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for temporal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temporal
Adjective
-
Smiling, eye contact and small talk should be kept to a minimum and be strictly mundane.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 July 2025
-
There will, of course, be speculation that the Microsoft Outlook outage is cyberattack related, but the reality is likely to be more mundane.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
-
Despite teaching secular subjects, the court deemed his role sufficiently religious to fall under the ministerial exception, barring his discrimination claim under the 1964 Civil Rights Act.—
A.J. Schumann,
Sun Sentinel,
6 July 2025
-
The bill gives school districts the option to employ or bring in volunteer chaplains, who can provide either secular advice or religious advice ― the latter, only if the students and parents consent.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
Flying drones may avoid some problems navigating terrestrial obstacles and potentially be less intrusive and faster.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
-
As a result, Martian dust devils can be thrice as large as their terrestrial analogues.—
Unnati Ashar,
Space.com,
2 July 2025
Adjective
-
This year, Boissy was visibly in the best physical condition of his career, armed with a different mental approach to the game that fuelled his MVP run.—
Sindiswa Mabunda,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
When opposition attackers launch the ball in his penalty area, John makes full use of his physical presence and 6ft 5in (196cm) frame.—
Matt Pyzdrowski,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
The moon is not the only thing that can shorten earthly days.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 July 2025
-
For those in the New Apostolic Reformation, these flags symbolize the belief that when all earthly authority fails, people have the right to appeal directly to God’s authority to justify resistance.—
Art Jipson,
The Conversation,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Of the threats of bodily harm and even death to men who got in the way.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
-
Aren’t dino farms, in which the poor creatures are kept alive just to be drained of their precious bodily fluids, the next step?—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
In 2022, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 paved the way for alternatives to animal testing, and in December 2023, an NIH advisory committee made similar recommendations to develop non-animal methods.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
-
Rendering is a process that transforms animal by-products, like leftover meat and fats...and yes, chicken feet, into usable materials, such as animal feed, fuel, and other industrial products.—
Phil Kafarakis,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Temporal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temporal. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share