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 committee has provisionally approved the budget, pending further review next month."

✓ 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

When writing about agreements or approvals, follow "provisionally" with a clear statement of the conditions or steps required for finalization. This helps avoid misunderstandings.

Common error

Avoid using "provisionally" excessively without specifying the conditions or timeline for finalization. This can create ambiguity and undermine the purpose of indicating a temporary state.

Linguistic Context

The adverb "provisionally" functions to modify verbs, adverbs, or entire clauses by expressing a state of temporariness or conditionality. Ludwig AI shows that it often qualifies actions or decisions that are not yet final.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Science

32%

Formal & Business

32%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "provisionally" functions as an adverb that indicates a temporary or conditional state. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and frequent usage across various contexts, especially in news, science, and business. When writing, it's crucial to use "provisionally" to clearly convey that something is subject to change, and to avoid overusing it without specifying the conditions for finalization. Alternatives like "temporarily" or "tentatively" can be used depending on the specific nuance you want to convey. By understanding its function, purpose, and common errors, you can effectively use "provisionally" to enhance the clarity and precision of your writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

temporarily

Indicates a state that is intended to last for a limited time only.

tentatively

Suggests something is done in an uncertain or hesitant way.

conditionally

Implies that something depends on certain conditions being met.

subject to confirmation

Highlights that an agreement or decision requires a further validation step.

pending approval

Indicates that something is waiting for a formal endorsement.

for the time being

Implies a situation is current but likely to change.

on a trial basis

Indicates a temporary arrangement to assess suitability.

preliminarily

Suggests something is done as a first step, before a final action.

for now

Implies that the present state might not continue.

without prejudice

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

FAQs

How can I use "provisionally" in a sentence?

You can use "provisionally" to indicate that something is temporary or subject to change. For example, "The committee has "provisionally approved" the budget, pending further review."

What are some alternatives to "provisionally"?

Alternatives include "temporarily", "tentatively", or "conditionally", depending on the specific context.

What does it mean when something is "provisionally" approved?

It means that the approval is not final and is subject to certain conditions or further review. It's a way of saying that something is approved for now, but that could change.

Is there a difference between "provisionally" and "tentatively"?

"Provisionally" suggests a more formal, though still temporary, arrangement, while "tentatively" indicates more uncertainty or hesitation. The best choice depends on the context.