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Synonyms

provisional

American  
[pruh-vizh-uh-nl] / prəˈvɪʒ ə nl /

adjective

  1. providing or serving for the time being only; existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary.

    a provisional government.
    Synonyms:
    pro tempore, ad interim, stopgap, short-term, interim

  2. accepted or adopted tentatively; conditional; contingent.

    Synonyms:
    probationary, dependent

  3. (usually initial capital letter) of or being the wing of the Irish Republican Army that follows a policy of violence.

noun

  1. Philately. a stamp that serves temporarily, pending the appearance of the regular issue, or during a temporary shortage of the regular stamps.

  2. a provisional member of a group.

  3. Usually Provisional a member of the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army.

Provisional 1 British  
/ prəˈvɪʒənəl /

adjective

  1. of, designating, or relating to the unofficial factions of the IRA and Sinn Féin that became increasingly dominant following a split in 1969. The Provisional movement remained committed to a policy of terrorism until its ceasefires of the mid-1990s

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. Also called: Provo.  a member of the Provisional IRA or Sinn Féin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
provisional 2 British  
/ prəˈvɪʒənəl, prəˈvɪʒənərɪ /

adjective

  1. subject to later alteration; temporary or conditional

    a provisional decision
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a postage stamp surcharged during an emergency to alter the stamp's denomination or significance until a new or regular issue is printed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nonprovisional adjective
  • nonprovisionally adverb
  • nonprovisionary adjective
  • provisionality noun
  • provisionally adverb
  • provisionalness noun
  • unprovisional adjective

Etymology

Origin of provisional

First recorded in 1595–1605; provision + -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Provisional application is, by its nature, provisional," she added, saying: "The agreement can only be fully concluded once the European Parliament has given its consent."

From Barron's

UC Davis has filed a provisional patent related to the invention.

From Science Daily

"While this provisional confirmation will not ease their loss, we hope the outcome will provide them with some measure of clarity and closure," he said.

From BBC

Uefa has imposed the ban on a provisional basis, pending the result of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector, and further punishment could still be handed out to the 20-year-old.

From BBC

Uefa has subsequently sanctioned Prestianni, 20, on a provisional basis, pending the result of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.