What does "temporal" mean?
Anything temporal or secular; a temporality.
Temporal
/ˈtɛm.pə.ɹəl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Anything temporal or secular; a temporality.
- Grammar: temporal is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: ancient rome chronology, annalistic, avian migration, banausic.
- Useful contrasts: eternal, spatial, spatial analysis.
- Usage evidence: When I swallow I feel an intense pain caused by my elongated temporal styloid process. My condition is called "Eagle Syndrome".
How to use "temporal"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "temporal" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "temporal" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "temporal" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "temporal" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "temporal" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ancient rome chronology" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "temporal", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Anything temporal or secular; a temporality. in-plural
"for God's people love always to be dealing as well in temporals as spirituals"
- 2 Ellipsis of temporal bone. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 3 the semantic role of the noun phrase that designates the time of the state or action denoted by the verb wordnet
- 4 Any of a reptile's scales on the side of the head between the parietal and supralabial scales, and behind the postocular scales.
Adjective
- 1 Of or relating to the material world, as opposed to sacred or clerical. not-comparable, relational, usually
"temporal power, temporal courts"
- 2 Of or situated in the temples of the head or the sides of the skull behind the orbits. not-comparable, relational
- 3 Relating to time:; Of limited time, transient, passing, not perpetual, as opposed to eternal. not-comparable, relational, usually
"The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
- 4 Relating to time:; Of limited time, transient, passing, not perpetual, as opposed to eternal.; Lasting for a short time only. euphemistic, not-comparable, relational, usually
- 5 Relating to time:; Of or relating to time as distinguished from space. not-comparable, relational, usually
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Relating to time:; Of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time. not-comparable, relational, usually
- 7 Relating to time:; Relating to or denoting time or tense. not-comparable, relational, usually
Adjective
- 1 of this earth or world wordnet
- 2 not eternal wordnet
- 3 characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world wordnet
- 4 of or relating to the temples (the sides of the skull behind the orbit) wordnet
- 5 of or relating to or limited by time wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"When I swallow I feel an intense pain caused by my elongated temporal styloid process. My condition is called "Eagle Syndrome"."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "temporal"?
Common synonyms include: ancient rome chronology, annalistic, avian migration, banausic, benchmark data, bodily.
How do you use "temporal" in a sentence?
When I swallow I feel an intense pain caused by my elongated temporal styloid process. My condition is called "Eagle Syndrome".
How do you pronounce "temporal"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛm.pə.ɹəl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English temporal, temporel (“transitory, worldly, material, of secular society”), from Old French temporel or Latin temporālis (“of time (in grammar), temporary, relating to time as opposed to eternity”), from tempus (“time, period, opportunity”) + -ālis.
Etymology 2
From Middle English, from Middle French timporal, temporal, from Late Latin temporālis, from tempora (“the temples of the head”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of temporalis.