1
as in interim
intended to last, continue, or serve for a limited time
will form a provisional government until a new leader can be elected
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in temporary
serving in a position for the time being
he was appointed provisional executor of the industrialist's vast estate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of provisional
Investors should treat flexibility as provisional, not permanent.
—
Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
But, if the experience of the Oslo Accords—where Areas A, B, and C in the West Bank hardened from interim arrangements into a permanent cartography of control—is any guide, provisional lines drawn in the name of security almost never remain provisional.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2025
Missing from the provisional schedule are Roksanda and Huishan Zhang.
—Kirsty McGregor, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025
Absent from the provisional calendar are Lanvin, which has been showing on various timings since Peter Copping’s debut last January, and Loewe.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provisional
Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
But, if the experience of the Oslo Accords—where Areas A, B, and C in the West Bank hardened from interim arrangements into a permanent cartography of control—is any guide, provisional lines drawn in the name of security almost never remain provisional.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2025
Missing from the provisional schedule are Roksanda and Huishan Zhang.
—Kirsty McGregor, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025
Absent from the provisional calendar are Lanvin, which has been showing on various timings since Peter Copping’s debut last January, and Loewe.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provisional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provisional
Adjective
-
Beere began serving as the interim chief in November, following Chief Floyd Mitchell’s abrupt resignation weeks earlier.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In moving Baker to the budget office, Levine Cava also named Lydia Lopez, an assistant library director, as his interim replacement.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In an interview, Wilcox said the order is effective until Thursday, when the court has scheduled another hearing, this time on a temporary injunction.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
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Dynamic Random Access Memory, or DRAM, generally refers to the primary, volatile memory found in most computers for temporary data storage.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Provisional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provisional. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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