What does temporise mean?
Temporise means to delay or avoid taking firm action, usually by postponing a decision or settling for a temporary arrangement. Its use can suggest practical caution, such as waiting for more information, but it can also imply evasiveness or indecision. The word is especially associated with British English, while American usage more often spells it temporize. In formal and political or diplomatic contexts, temporise often appears in descriptions of negotiations or committees that avoid making a final decision. The related nouns temporiser and temporisation refer respectively to a person who delays and the act or policy of delaying. Compared with the more neutral postpone, temporise places greater emphasis on the absence of a firm decision. It is therefore a useful word when the important point is not merely that something has been deferred, but that action has been avoided or deliberately kept open.
verbTo postpone or avoid taking action, especially by delaying a decision or making a temporary arrangement.
- To delay or avoid making a decision or taking action.
- To make a temporary compromise or arrangement in order to postpone a more permanent resolution.
"The committee decided to temporise until more information was available."
"Faced with the dispute, the negotiators temporised while seeking a lasting agreement."
"The government temporised on the new regulations by announcing only interim measures."
Temporise comes from the Latin idea of waiting for the right moment, so it describes making time an ally of delay.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How temporise is actually used
The word is chiefly British in contemporary usage, though it is also recorded in American English, where temporize is more common. It has a formal tone and often carries the connotation of indecision or strategic delay rather than a straightforward scheduling deferral.
Easily confused with temporise
Postpone generally means to defer something to a later time, whereas temporise often implies avoiding or delaying a decision or making only a temporary arrangement.