tem·po·rar·y
Audio Help [tem-puh-rer-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, noun, plural -rar·ies.
—Related forms
Audio Help [tem-puh-rer-ee] Pronunciation Key adjective, noun, plural -rar·ies. –adjective
–noun
| 1. | lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent: a temporary need; a temporary job. |
| 2. | an office worker hired, usually through an agency on a per diem basis, for a short period of time. |
—Related forms
tem·po·rar·i·ness, noun
—Synonyms 1. impermanent, passing. Temporary, transient, transitory agree in referring to that which is not lasting or permanent. Temporary implies an arrangement established with no thought of continuance but with the idea of being changed soon: a temporary structure. Transient describes that which is in the process of passing by, and which will therefore last or stay only a short time: a transient condition. Transitory describes an innate characteristic by which a thing, by its very nature, lasts only a short time: Life is transitory.
—Antonyms 1. permanent.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
temporary
To learn more about temporary visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| tem·po·rar·y
Audio Help (těm'pə-rěr'ē) Pronunciation Key
adj. Lasting, used, serving, or enjoyed for a limited time. n. pl. tem·po·rar·ies Informal One that serves for a limited time: an office staffed by temporaries. [Latin temporārius, from tempus, tempor-, time.] tem'po·rar'i·ly adv., tem'po·rar'i·ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean assuming the duties of another for the time being: a temporary chairperson; the acting dean; an ad interim admissions committee; an interim administration; a provisional mayor. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
temporary (adj.)
1547, from L. temporarius "of seasonal character, lasting a short time," from tempus (gen. temporis) "time, season." The noun meaning "person employed only for a time" is recorded from 1848.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| temporary | |
adjective | |
| 1. | not permanent; not lasting; "politics is an impermanent factor of life"- James Thurber; "impermanent palm cottages"; "a temperary arrangement"; "temporary housing" [syn: impermanent] [ant: lasting] |
| 2. | lacking continuity or regularity; "an irregular worker"; "employed on a temporary basis" [syn: irregular] |
noun | |
| 1. | a worker (especially in an office) hired on a temporary basis [syn: temp] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
temporary [ˈtempərəri, (American) ˈtempəreri] adjective
lasting, acting, used etc for a (short) time only
Example: a temporary job; He made a temporary repair.
Example: a temporary job; He made a temporary repair.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Temporary
Tem"po*ra*ry\, a. [L. temporarius, fr. tempus, temporis, time: cf. F. temporaire.] Lasting for a time only; existing or continuing for a limited time; not permanent; as, the patient has obtained temporary relief. Temporary government of the city. --Motley. Temporary star. (Astron.) See under Star.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
temporary
temporary: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary
| On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB |
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