1
as in temporary
intended to last, continue, or serve for a limited time
a provisory permit to block off the street while movie scenes were being shot
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in interim
serving in a position for the time being
a provisory legal adviser who will be replaced by a court-appointed public defender
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provisory
Adjective
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What To Know The Senate passed a temporary funding bill to end the United States' longest-ever government shutdown.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025 -
But no need to fret; the cool-down is temporary, according to the National Weather Service in Miami.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In October 2024, Chinese warships visited Chittagong—the first foreign naval vessels to do so after the establishment of the interim Bangladeshi government—signaling a major geopolitical shift.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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Al-Sharaa led the rebel forces that toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad last December and was named the country's interim leader in January.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the job of being a professor became more tenuous and provisional—some 75 percent of faculty are nontenured, many working term to term, with the fate of their employment determined, in part, by student course evaluations.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
4 Nov. 2025
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At polling places that remained closed, voters were sent to other sits to pick up provisional ballots.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Provisory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provisory. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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