Temporary: Definition, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：not permanent (temporary)

temporary 🔊

/ˈtemprəri/

adj.

Lasting for a short time, not forever.

Temporary barrier at a construction site illustrating a non-permanent condition

not permanent 🔊

➕

/nɒt ˈpɜːmənənt/

adj.

Describing a state, condition, or arrangement that is intended to last or be used only for a limited period.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'temporarius', meaning 'lasting only for a time', derived from 'tempus' (time).

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a 'TEMP' worker filling a position for a short period of TIME.

📖 Example

Many graduates take a temporary job to gain work experience before finding a permanent position. 🔊 Many graduates take a job that is not permanent to gain work experience before securing a lasting position.

🔗 Collocations

temporary job – a short-term employment position

temporary solution – a fix intended for the immediate present, not the long term

temporary measure – an action taken to address an issue for now

🔄 Synonyms

transient (adj.) – Lasting for a very short time; fleeting.

interim (adj.) – Intended to last or serve until a permanent replacement is available.

provisional (adj.) – Arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later.

🚫 Antonyms

permanent (adj.) – Lasting or intended to last indefinitely without change.

lasting (adj.) – Continuing for a long time; enduring.

eternal (adj.) – Lasting or existing forever; without end.

🌱 Derivatives

temporarily (adv.) – For a limited period of time; not permanently.

temporariness (n.) – The state or quality of being temporary.

📖 Cultural Story

The word entered English in the mid-16th century via the Old French 'temporaire' or directly from Latin. It originally described things bound by or limited to time, a concept central to legal and ecclesiastical contexts, differentiating transient states from eternal ones.