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
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Recent Examples of provisional
Europe’s three major institutions, Bologna, Paris and Oxford, welcomed between 1,000 and 2,500 students each in these early decades, and conditions were sprawling, anarchic and provisional.
—
Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Nearly 126,000 babies were born to mothers aged 15 to 19, according to provisional data.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
So far, the WGA has only disclosed to members that the provisional agreement will span four years rather than the union’s typical three.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2026
The current provisional deal does not contain those demands.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for provisional
Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Nearly 126,000 babies were born to mothers aged 15 to 19, according to provisional data.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026
So far, the WGA has only disclosed to members that the provisional agreement will span four years rather than the union’s typical three.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2026
The current provisional deal does not contain those demands.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for provisional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provisional
Adjective
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Just look at previous interim head coaches Guus Hiddink (2009), Roberto Di Matteo (2012), and Rafael Benitez (2013).—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Double-A manager Chad Epperson will take over as interim third base coach and WooSox hitting coach Collin Hetzler has been elevated to the big league staff, but beyond that Breslow said more additions will be made and that Tracy will have a voice in assembling his new staff.—
Mac Cerullo,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The temporary supervised visitation (for one hour every other week) began in September 2024.—
Juliet Pennington,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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Doing this every few weeks can help apply updates and clear temporary issues that may affect performance or security.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Provisional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provisional. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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