provisional

provisional — adjective

1. Something that is provisional is used or accepted for a short period, with the e

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Something that is provisional is used or accepted for a short period, with the expectation that a permanent version or arrangement will replace it later.

Example

The university offered Gita a provisional place while her final results were being processed.

collocation: provisional place / provisional offer

The opposition formed a provisional government after the uprising and ran the country for eight months.

collocation: provisional government

Common collocations
  • provisional government
  • provisional agreement
  • provisional license
  • provisional offer
  • provisional timetable
  • provisional results
  • provisional measure
  • provisional passport
Synonyms
  • temporary

    more general and common; used for people, objects, and situations

  • interim

    formal; often describes a measure that fills a gap until something permanent is decided

  • tentative

    suggests uncertainty or that something is not yet fully confirmed

  • conditional

    depends on something else happening first, not just on time passing

Antonyms
  • permanent

    the most direct opposite — not temporary at all

  • definitive

    formal; the final version that will not be changed

  • final

    common; no further changes expected

Grammar Patterns

provisional + noun

be + provisional

Usage Note

Frequently used in official or institutional contexts — politics, employment, education, and law — to describe arrangements that have been set up quickly and are expected to become permanent or be replaced later. Do not use for natural or physical phenomena (e.g. ❌ 'provisional weather').

Common Mistakes

The weather forecast is only provisional.
The weather forecast is only tentative.
'provisional' describes man-made arrangements, not predictions about natural conditions.
I need a provisional place to sit.
I need a temporary place to sit.
For everyday physical objects, 'temporary' is more natural than 'provisional'.

provisional — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe something that is not final, but they differ in what kind of non-finality they express. 'Temporary' is the broadest everyday term — it simply means lasting for a limited time (a temporary job, a temporary bridge). 'Provisional' adds the idea that a permanent replacement is expected or planned; it is common in official and institutional language (provisional government, provisional license). 'Interim' is more formal and often refers to a measure that fills a gap until something permanent is decided (interim report, interim CEO). 'Tentative' emphasises uncertainty — a decision that may change because information is still incomplete (tentative plan, tentative date). 'Conditional' depends on a condition being met, not simply on time (conditional offer, conditional approval). A provisional government is meant to be replaced by a permanent one; a tentative arrangement may or may not go ahead; a conditional offer requires you to fulfil a requirement first.

temporary ↗interim ↗tentative ↗conditional ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • provisionally

Phrases

  • on a provisional basis

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From the Latin noun 'provisio' (a seeing ahead, foresight, provision), formed from 'providere' (to see ahead, to provide). In Late Latin this gave rise to 'provisionalis', which passed into French as 'provisionnel' and then into English in the early 1600s. The core idea of 'providing for the present while looking ahead to a final arrangement' has stayed with the word ever since.