temporal

1 of 3

adjective (1)

tem·​po·​ral ˈtem-p(ə-)rəl How to pronounce temporal (audio)
1
a
: of or relating to time as opposed to eternity
b
: of or relating to earthly life
c
: lay or secular rather than clerical or sacred : civil
lords temporal
2
: of or relating to grammatical tense or a distinction of time
3
a
: of or relating to time as distinguished from space
b
: of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time : chronological
temporally adverb

temporal

2 of 3

noun

: a bodily part (such as a bone or muscle) that is near the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits : a temporal part

temporal

3 of 3

adjective (2)

: of or relating to the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits

Did you know?

Temporal existence is often contrasted with spiritual existence, which many religions teach is eternal. The American system of government features a separation of church and state—that is, a separation of spiritual and temporal authority. But such separation is relatively recent. In past centuries, the Roman Catholic Church exerted temporal authority—that is, political power—throughout much of Europe, and the Church of England has always been officially headed by the temporal ruler of Great Britain. Temporal isn't always used in religious contexts; for example, child psychologists often measure "temporal processing"—that is, speed of thinking—in children with mental difficulties. Note that temporal may also mean "near the temples (of the head);" thus, your brain's temporal lobes are situated at your temples. But this temporal is based on a different Latin root.

Examples of temporal in a Sentence

Adjective (1) The struggle of the dispersed Tibetan people is made all the more newsworthy by the nonviolent emphasis of their spiritual and temporal leader, the Nobel Peace laureate Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in Dharamsala, India. Flynne Bachleda, Publisher's Weekly, 15 Aug. 1994
By eschewing history and politics, The Last Train From Madrid leeches war of its particular temporal context, providing an eight-year-old with his first glimpse of war as eternal anonymous suffering. Donald Hall, Harper's, May 1991
… each in their own way wanted an authority which could both uphold the law and maintain the order of society; once the first age was over, the consequence of this was the de facto separation between those who maintained the law … and the men of the sword who had the power to enforce temporal order. Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991
The history of life is not a continuum of development, but a record punctuated by brief, sometimes geologically instantaneous, episodes of mass extinction and subsequent diversification. The geological time scale maps this history, for fossils provide our chief criterion in fixing the temporal order of rocks. Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The biannual temporal event allows for more daylight at night between mid-March to early November. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 The caliph — not wholly unlike the pontiff in Rome for Catholics — was the leading, unifying temporal authority of the Muslim world. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The teams then brief each other in their own temporal pincer movement. Nate Jones, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024 The scoring of these attributes and their temporal dynamics are also available on the KYN site. Cindy Gordon, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 The biennial stands as a testament to the power of art to transcend geographical and temporal boundaries, offering a profound journey through the heart of the desert and into the soul of humanity. Shelby Knick, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024 Constant-stare systems could increase their perception of intrusion as their geographic and temporal sanctuaries are rendered less secure. David Zikusoka, Foreign Affairs, 2 Feb. 2024 But without the moon’s power over our spiritual and temporal lives, modern science may have looked very different. Rebecca Boyle, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2024 That era is now historic although O'Malley says viewers should not overly trouble themselves with the show's temporal placement. Clark Collis, EW.com, 13 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'temporal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English temporal, temporel "transitory, worldly, material, of secular society," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin temporālis "of time (in grammar), temporary, relating to time as opposed to eternity" (Medieval Latin, "lay, secular"), from tempor-, tempus "time, period of time" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at tempo

Noun

borrowed from Middle French, noun derivative of temporal, adjective, "of the temple" — more at temporal entry 3

Adjective (2)

borrowed from Middle French timporal, temporal, borrowed from Late Latin temporālis, from Latin tempor-, tempus temple entry 2 + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1541, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1597, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of temporal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near temporal

Cite this Entry

“Temporal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/temporal. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

temporal

adjective
tem·​po·​ral
ˈtem-p(ə-)rəl
1
: of or relating to time as opposed to eternity
2
a
: of or relating to earthly life
b
: of or relating to material as opposed to spiritual concerns
temporally
adverb

Medical Definition

temporal

1 of 3 adjective
tem·​po·​ral ˈtem-p(ə-)rəl How to pronounce temporal (audio)
: of or relating to time as distinguished from space
also : of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time
temporally adverb

temporal

2 of 3 noun
: a temporal part (as a bone or muscle)

temporal

3 of 3 adjective
: of or relating to the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits

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