Provisionally

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Provisionally" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when indicating that something is temporary or subject to change until a final decision or confirmation is made. Example: "The meeting is scheduled for next week, provisionally, until we receive confirmation from all participants."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Two of Britain's biggest pork pie and sausage roll suppliers are hopeful they will be free to earn their crust together after the competition authorities provisionally cleared their merger.

The Guardian - Business

John Wotton, the chair of CMA's group investigating the merger, said: "We have provisionally concluded that the merger will not give the parties an opportunity to raise prices or reduce quality.

The Guardian - Business

He decided to sign up with Judicare, which represents more than 200 buyers and is pursuing litigation in Cyprus, with the first trials provisionally set for the spring.

The Guardian - Money

Brussels has frozen tens of millions of euros of funding to Bulgaria, and threatened to sanction Bulgaria further over South Stream, now provisionally suspended.

The Guardian

However, the watchdog's four cold savoury pastry investigators provisionally concluded on Tuesday that the merged bakers did not make all the pies and there were enough other suppliers to keep prices down.

The Guardian - Business

The win moves Depor into fourth place, where they sit provisionally a point clear of Mallorca, who travel to Espanyol today.

The Guardian - Sport

That internal inquiry provisionally concluded no police officer should face disciplinary or criminal proceedings.

The Guardian

The decision marks a U-turn by the competition regulator, which provisionally determined last August that BSkyB's contracts with the six major Hollywood studios – Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Universal Studios – were anti-competitive and needed to be weakened to allow rivals to flourish.

The Guardian

Belgium's rising star Michy Batshuayi scored twice as Marseille cruised to their biggest win this season at Toulouse that provisionally lifted the club to second place in the French league standings on Friday.

The Guardian - Sport

Second-place Roma moved provisionally four points ahead of their city rivals Lazio, who visit relegation-threatened Cagliari later on Saturday.

The Guardian - Sport

Facebook Twitter Google plus Share Share this post Facebook Twitter Google plus close 1.45pm AEST04:45 Peter Slipper bows out.. well provisionally This is somewhat unusual.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "provisionally" when you want to indicate that something is subject to change or not yet finalized. It's best suited for formal contexts where precision is important.

Common error

Avoid using "provisionally" when you mean "proportionally". "Provisionally" means temporarily or conditionally, while "proportionally" means in relation to a specific amount. Ensure you choose the word that accurately reflects the intended meaning.

Linguistic Context

The primary grammatical function of "provisionally" is as an adverb. It modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to indicate that an action, state, or quality is temporary or subject to change. According to Ludwig, the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

64%

Science

24%

Formal & Business

12%

Less common in

Reference

0%

Wiki

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "provisionally" is a grammatically correct adverb used to indicate that something is temporary or subject to change. Ludwig's analysis shows that it is commonly found in News & Media, Science, and Formal & Business contexts. When writing, remember that "provisionally" should not be confused with "proportionally", and consider using alternatives like "temporarily" or ""tentatively"" depending on the nuance you want to convey. Ludwig confirms that the phrase is acceptable in written English and offers several real-world examples.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Temporarily

Indicates something is in effect for a limited time; emphasizes the duration.

Tentatively

Suggests a cautious or hesitant approach, subject to confirmation.

Preliminarily

Implies an initial stage before a final decision.

Subject to confirmation

Explicitly states that something needs to be confirmed.

For the time being

Indicates a current state that may change later.

On a trial basis

Suggests an experimental period to evaluate effectiveness.

Conditionally

Indicates that something depends on certain conditions being met.

As a placeholder

Implies that something is serving as a temporary substitute.

Without prejudice

Indicates that a decision is made without affecting future rights or claims.

For now

A simple way of saying something is true for the present time.

FAQs

How to use "provisionally" in a sentence?

"Provisionally" indicates that something is temporary or subject to change. For example, "The date for the meeting is "tentatively" set for next week, provisionally, pending confirmation from all members."

What can I say instead of "provisionally"?

You can use alternatives like "temporarily", ""tentatively"", or "preliminarily" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "provisionally" or "provisionally"?

"Provisionally" is the correct spelling. "Provisionaly" is a misspelling and should be avoided.

What's the difference between "provisionally" and "conditionally"?

"Provisionally" implies a temporary arrangement that may change, while "conditionally" suggests that something depends on certain conditions being met. "Provisionally" focuses on time, and "conditionally" focuses on requirements.