What does preliminarily mean?
“Preliminarily” means in a preliminary way, usually before a more substantial or final stage of an activity. It is used when an agreement, approval, arrangement, or decision has been reached provisionally but may still be revised. The adverb is especially common in formal contexts such as government announcements, committee proceedings, legal matters, and academic administration. For example, a committee may preliminarily approve a proposal, or officials may preliminarily agree to negotiate. Because it signals that the matter is not yet settled, the word often conveys caution: a preliminary agreement is an initial understanding rather than a final commitment. The related adjective “preliminary” describes what comes before the main event, while “preliminarily” describes how an action is performed before final confirmation.
adverbIn a preliminary or provisional way, before the main activity, decision, or discussion takes place.
- Before the main event, discussion, or decision, as a preliminary step.
"The committee preliminarily agreed on a date for the hearing."
"The two governments preliminarily agreed to continue negotiations."
"Applicants who meet the requirements will preliminarily be invited to an information session."
The word points to a threshold: its Latin roots mean “before the threshold,” where important business is prepared before the main proceedings begin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does preliminarily come from?
The word was formed in the early 19th century from “preliminary” plus the adverbial suffix “-ly.” “Preliminary” comes from Latin prae-, meaning “before,” and limen, meaning “threshold.” The same Latin root limen underlies words such as “limit” and “eliminate,” although their modern meanings developed along different paths.
How preliminarily is actually used
This is a formal adverb, especially common in official, legal, academic, and organizational contexts. It often indicates that a decision or arrangement may still be changed before it becomes final.
Easily confused with preliminarily
“Preliminary” is an adjective describing something that comes before the main event, while “preliminarily” is an adverb describing an action performed in a preliminary or provisional way.