Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

provisional

[pruh-vizh-uh-nl]

adjective Also, pro·vi·sion·ar·y

[pruh-vizh-uh-ner-ee] (for defs. 1, 2).

providing or serving for the time being only; existing only until permanently or properly replaced; temporary: a provisional government.

accepted or adopted tentatively; conditional; probationary.

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

noun

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

a provisional member of a group.

(usually initial capital letter) a member of the Provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Provisional is a GRE word you need to know.

So is proliferate. Does it mean:

increase or spread at a rapid rate

natural inclination

LEARN MORE GRE WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1595–1605; provision + -al¹

Related forms

pro·vi·sion·al·i·ty, pro·vi·sion·al·ness, noun

pro·vi·sion·al·ly, adverb

non·pro·vi·sion·al, adjective

non·pro·vi·sion·al·ly, adverb

non·pro·vi·sion·ar·y, adjective

EXPAND

un·pro·vi·sion·al, adjective

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To provisional

Example Sentences

The provisional government lacked political, financial and police resources.

Provisional table on the content of omega-3 fatty acids and other fat components in selected foods.

Though so often elegant, evolution can also be jury-rigged and provisional.

EXPAND

The provisional government lacked political, financial and police resources.

Provisional table on the content of omega-3 fatty acids and other fat components in selected foods.

Though so often elegant, evolution can also be jury-rigged and provisional.

Workers would think of the provisional bonus as theirs, and work harder to prevent it from being taken away.

The provisional route requires little to no advanced mountaineering skill.

There is only local knowledge, contingent and provisional.

The word is that a provisional result, and a peaceful change, is imminent.

When the provisional government heard she had returned, they came to hear her story and absolved her of any wrongdoing.

But a voter can refuse to sign the affidavit and still cast a ballot, though he must cast a provisional ballot in this case.

He has a provisional patent on the device, and will have a full patent in the next few months.

Likewise, the identification of the parasite must remain provisional.

They've since filed several provisional patents for their cracking techniques.

The public loved it, and the building committee gave provisional approval.

Tentative does not mean weak, but provisional and willing to change course under the influence of new revelations.

Muammar el-Qaddafi became the latest family member to broadcast a recorded taunt of the provisional authorities.

As far as options for restarting your academic career, look at provisional admissions.

Any attempt to picture what is happening in the infected cell must necessarily therefore be provisional and oversimplified.

Other precincts either simply don't have enough paper ballots on hand or are giving voters provisional ballots instead.

Within a few hours the provisional rankings and detailed scores of all players were available online.

The first year he taught with a provisional certification but was paid as a first-year teacher.

Reducing fees and the option to file provisional applications help the underdog without hindering the big companies.

The provisional programme for the press will run as follows:.

Now he works for the rebels' provisional government, coordinating.

Your relative, friend or lover earns provisional honorary degrees and in that case, its not that important.

Lakas, a close friend, president of the provisional government council.

I've been given a deadline to get the revised manuscript to them, and a provisional publication date.

But he hopes that putting a provisional number on it will cause the government to start tracking their investments.

Voters who don't do this can cast a provisional ballot on.

Voters who don't meet the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot can request a provisional paper ballot.

US authorities swooped in with a provisional warrant to retain him in custody while they pursued an indictment and extradition.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

provisional or provisionary (prəˈvɪʒən^əl, prəˈvɪʒənərɪ)

—*adj*
1.	subject to later alteration; temporary or conditional: a provisional decision

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

provisionary or provisionary

—*adj*

—n

pro'visionally or provisionary

—*adv*

Provisional (prəˈvɪʒən^əl)

—*adj*
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

—n
2.	Also called: Provo a member of the Provisional IRA or Sinn Féin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

provisional

of temporary arrangements, c.1600, from Fr. provisionnal (late 15c.), from O.Fr. provision (see provision). The notion is of something that will "provide for present needs."

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for provisional?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Prov provisory Provo Rawalpindi siege piece unnilhexium

Matching Quote

"The first typical adolescent of modern times was Wagner's Siegfried. : the music of Siegfried expressed for the first time that combination of (provisional) purity, physical strength, naturism, spontaneity and joie de vivre which was to make the adolescent the hero of our twentieth century, the century of adolescence."

-Philippe Ariés

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help