temporary

[tem-puh-rer-ee] /ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr i/

adjective

lasting, existing, serving, or effective for a time only; not permanent:

a temporary need; a temporary job.

noun, plural temporaries.

an office worker hired, usually through an agency on a per diem basis, for a short period of time.

Origin

1540-50; < Latin temporārius, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus) time + -ārius -ary

Related forms

temporarily

[tem-puh-rair-uh-lee, tem-puh-rer-] /ˌtɛm pəˈrɛər ə li, ˈtɛm pəˌrɛr-/ (Show IPA), adverb

temporariness, noun

nontemporarily, adverb

nontemporariness, noun

nontemporary, adjective

untemporary, adjective

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.

Examples from the web for temporary

Pilots occasionally report temporary flickering of lights or short-lived interference with instruments.
As a rule, such moments are short-temporary tremors marking a crisis in the dictatorial power structure.
We moved the old refrigerator to the garage, which became our temporary kitchen.
Travel insurance is sometimes mistaken for temporary health insurance, but the two are actually different.
temporary files left by programs slow your machine and eat storage space.
temporary exhibitions highlight various aspects of the collections and include works from around the world.
It represents a new potential while non-destructively re-framing the past in a temporary manner.
The source was a temporary type of tissue called medullary bone lining the inside of their leg bone cavities.
Hospital masks are designed to be temporary and disposable.
The shield was topped by sturdy iron plates that formed a temporary roof and protected the miners as they worked.

British Dictionary definitions for temporary

temporary

/ˈtɛmpərərɪ; ˈtɛmprərɪ/

adjective

not permanent; provisional: temporary accommodation

lasting only a short time; transitory: temporary relief from pain

noun (pl) -raries

a person, esp a secretary or other office worker, employed on a temporary basis Often shortened to temp

Derived Forms

temporarily, adverb
temporariness, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin temporārius, from tempus time

Word Origin and History for temporary

adj.

1540s, from Latin temporarius "of seasonal character, lasting a short time," from tempus (genitive temporis) "time, season" (see temporal). The noun meaning "person employed only for a time" is recorded from 1848.