- temporary
- I(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)adj. impermanent, irregular, seasonal, provisional, momentary, brief, fleeting, transitory; stopgap, makeshift, ersatz. See transientness.II(Roget's IV) modif.Syn. transitory, transient, fleeting, short, brief, ephemeral, evanescent, fugitive, volatile, shifting, passing, summary, momentary, fugacious, stopgap, makeshift, substitute, for the time being, overnight, ad hoc (Latin), ad interim (Latin), interim, impermanent, irregular, changeable, unenduring, unfixed, unstable, perishable, provisional, acting, short-lived, mortal, pro tem, on the go*, on the fly*, on the wing*, here today and gone tomorrow*; see also momentary .Ant. permanent*, fixed, eternal.Syn.- temporary applies to a post held (or to the person holding such a post) for a limited time, subject to dismissal by those having the power of appointment [ a temporary mail carrier ] ; provisional is specifically applied to a government (or to its officers) established for the time being in a country, a newly formed nation, etc. until a permanent government can be formed; ad interim refers to an appointment for an intervening period, as between the death of an official and the election of a successor; acting is applied to one who temporarily takes over the powers of a regular official during the latter's absence [ a vice-president often serves as acting president ]III(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.impermanent, transitory, short-term, passing, transient, fleeting, ephemeral, brief, pro tempore, stopgap, makeshift, make-do, provisional, interim.ANT.: permanent, lasting, eternal, fixedIV(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Lasting or existing only for a short time: ephemeral, evanescent, fleet, fleeting, fugacious, fugitive, momentary, passing, short-lived, temporal, transient, transitory. See CONTINUE, TIME. 2. Intended, used, or present for a limited time: impermanent, interim, provisional, short-range, short-term. See CONTINUE. 3. Temporarily assuming the duties of another: acting, ad interim, interim, pro tern, provisional. See CONTINUE, SUBSTITUTE.
English dictionary for students. 2013.