Provisionalist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who supports or promotes temporary measures or arrangements in various contexts such as politics or sociology
2. Someone advocating for solutions that are intended to be temporary rather than permanent, reflecting a flexible or adaptable approach
3. An individual who aligns with policies or ideologies that focus on interim strategies or conditional responses to societal issues

Etymology: "Provisionalist" is a plain formation: "provisional" plus the suffix "-ist," which marks someone who advocates or practises a particular approach. "Provisional" comes from the Medieval Latin "provisionalis," built on "provisio," a arrangement made in advance. That noun traces back to Latin "providere," meaning "to foresee" or "to provide for." The core sense is something prepared for a need before it arises, which is why a provisional measure is one meant to hold until something better is settled. The "-ist" ending comes from Greek "-istes," a suffix for people who follow a doctrine or method, as in "pragmatist." So a provisionalist is literally someone who favours arrangements made to stand in until a permanent answer is found.

Synonyms: temporary, conditional, interim, transitional, tentative

Antonyms: permanent, definitive, fixed, established, settled