interim
/'intərim/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective:
- Temporary, provisional; intended to last or serve for a limited time until something more permanent is established. It describes something that fills a gap or serves during an intervening period.
Noun:
- An intervening time; the time between one event, process, or period and another. It refers to the interval itself.
Usage and Examples
As an Adjective:
- The board appointed an interim CEO while they searched for a permanent replacement.
- An interim report was published with the preliminary findings.
- They reached an interim agreement to cease hostilities.
As a Noun:
- In the interim, please direct all questions to the assistant manager.
- She will oversee the department in the interim between directors.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- "In the interim": This is a common prepositional phrase meaning "in the meantime" or "during the intervening period."
- The main bridge is closed for repairs. In the interim, a temporary ferry service will operate.
Variants and Related Words
- Interimly (adverb, rare): In an interim manner; temporarily.
- Interregnum (noun): A period when normal government is suspended, especially between successive reigns or regimes. This is a more specific and formal synonym for the noun sense of "interim."
Synonyms
- Adjective: Provisional, temporary, stopgap, acting, caretaker, makeshift.
- Noun: Interval, interlude, meantime, meanwhile, interregnum.
Antonyms
- Adjective: Permanent, final, lasting, definitive.
- Noun: Continuation, permanence.
Notes on Meaning
- The word emphasizes the transitional, provisional nature of something. An interim solution is not meant to be final.
- As a noun, it is most frequently used in the phrase "in the interim."
Adjective
- serving during an intermediate interval of time
- an interim agreement
Noun
- the time between one event, process, or period and another
- meanwhile the socialists are running the government