Meaning & use
provisional
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Arranged for now, with the understanding that it may be changed or replaced later.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a provisional date.
Patterns
- a provisional plan
- provisional agreement
The meeting is set for Friday, but that date is provisional.
They signed a provisional agreement while talks continued.
The provisional schedule may change next week.
adjectivebefore a nounBritish
Describing a licence or permit given for learners, who must still pass a test.
Grammar: Mainly British: a provisional driving licence.
Patterns
- a provisional licence
He applied for a provisional driving licence at seventeen.
You must display L plates with a provisional licence.
Her provisional licence arrived in the post.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Describing a government or authority that serves temporarily until a permanent one is set up.
Grammar: Before a noun: a provisional government.
Patterns
- a provisional government
A provisional government ruled until the elections.
The provisional council drafted the first laws.
The provisional authority kept order in the city.
Common combinations
- provisional agreement
- The two sides reached a provisional agreement.
- provisional government
- The provisional government promised free elections.
- provisional date
- We have a provisional date for the wedding.
- provisional booking
- I made a provisional booking at the hotel.
- provisional results
- Provisional results show a narrow win.
Synonyms and how they differ
- temporary
- Temporary means for a short time only, while provisional also suggests that the arrangement will be confirmed or changed.
- interim
- Interim describes the period in between and is common for acting officials.
- tentative
- Tentative suggests uncertainty or hesitation, often about plans or offers.
- conditional
- Conditional depends on something happening, whereas provisional may simply be unfinished.
Opposites
Word family
- provisionally adverb
- in a way that may be changed later
- provision noun
- the act of supplying something, or a condition in a law
- provide verb
- to give or supply
- provisionality noun
- the state of being provisional
Commonly confused: provisional or provincial?
provisional vs provincial
Provincial relates to a province or to narrow, unsophisticated views, while provisional means temporary and subject to change.
Practice
The date for the concert is only ___ until the venue confirms.
Choose one answer.
Provisional means arranged for now and open to change. The other options say the date is settled, which contradicts until the venue confirms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “provisional”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.