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provisional
/prəˈvɪʒənəl/
temporary until final
The committee made a provisional decision pending further review.
The committee's decision is not final and may change after more information is gathered.
formal
Temporary or conditional, intended to be replaced by something more permanent or definitive.
The government issued a provisional license to the startup while they completed safety inspections.
The license allows the startup to operate temporarily until full compliance is verified.
She accepted the job on a provisional basis, with a three-month review period.
Her employment is temporary and subject to evaluation before becoming permanent.
Often used in legal, administrative, or organizational contexts where a decision or status is not yet finalized.
Collocations
provisional agreementa temporary deal that may change laterprovisional governmenta temporary ruling body in place until a permanent one is establishedprovisional driver's licensea temporary license for new drivers before obtaining a full one
Pro Tip
Avoid redundancy with 'temporary'
While 'provisional' and 'temporary' are often interchangeable, 'provisional' carries a stronger implication of being a placeholder or interim solution that will eventually be superseded by a definitive one. For example, a 'provisional government' is one that is explicitly temporary, whereas a 'temporary government' might imply a brief but unspecified duration.
Gold Rule
Use 'provisional' for placeholders, not for uncertainty
Reserve 'provisional' for situations where a temporary measure is explicitly in place to be replaced later. Do not use it to describe something that is merely uncertain or undecided (e.g., avoid 'provisional plans' when you mean 'unconfirmed plans').
Word Origin
From Latin *provisionalis*, derived from *provisio* meaning 'foresight' or 'preparation' (from *providere* 'to foresee'), combining *pro-* 'before' + *videre* 'to see'. The sense of 'temporary' emerged in the 17th century.
Usage Notes
Avoid using 'provisional' to describe something that is merely uncertain or unconfirmed; it specifically implies a temporary status that will later be replaced by a more permanent arrangement. In legal contexts, 'provisional' often refers to measures taken to maintain the status quo until a final decision is made.
Word Breakdown
pro-
before or in advance
prefix-vision-
seeing or foreseeing
root-al
relating to
suffixEnglish Dictionary