Interim and Permanent

Interim

Interim adjective - Intended to last, continue, or serve for a limited time.
Usage example: putting up some students in local motels is obviously just an interim solution to the college's housing shortage

Permanent is an antonym for interim in temporary topic.

Permanent

Permanent adjective - Lasting forever.
Usage example: a temporary compromise has been accepted until a more permanent solution can be agreed upon

Interim is an antonym for permanent in temporary topic.

Both words in one sentence

  • It wasn't permanent; she'd written to her father, King Ferdinand, asking him to recall his current ambassador and send a new one, and Ferdinand chose her to act in the interim.
  • Shortly before the suspension ended, NBC announced that he would be demoted to Breaking News anchor at MSNBC, while his longtime colleague and interim host Lester Holt was announced as his permanent replacement.
  • The intent was to give Jack, who constantly complained about government service while simultaneously enjoying it, a permanent way out of government service: after serving as interim Vice President until the election in eleven months, he would retire and never be asked to return.
Cite this Source
Permanent and Interim. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/interim/permanent
Interim & Permanent. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/interim/permanent>.
Permanent or Interim. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/interim/permanent.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "interim" and "permanent" have occurred on timeline