WordGarden.iotemporally
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /tˈɛmpərəli/
US
- /ˈtɛmpərəli/
Meanings
Adverb
with respect to time rather than space
on or toward the temple side of the head or eye
Beyond the definition
"Temporally" describes how something relates to time, especially its order, duration, or place in a timeline. It is not the same as "temporarily," which means for only a short time. Instead, this word is about the time side of a situation. You can think of it as the time version of "spatially." Just as something exists spatially in a room, it also exists temporally across a day, a year, or an era. You might say two events are temporally linked if they happen in a clear order or are connected through time. The word often appears in formal writing, whether you are discussing the development of a story or the stages of a scientific process.
The word "temporally" describes something in relation to time, not just by naming a date or moment, but by showing how it exists, changes, or is arranged across time. It captures ideas such as duration, sequence, and the relationship between earlier and later events.
Unlike words like "soon" or "eventually," which point to when something happens, "temporally" focuses on the time-based aspect itself. For example, a scientist might compare events that are separated temporally, and a historian might study how social values changed over time during the Industrial Revolution. The word is useful when describing things that happen in a certain order or depend on the passage of time.
You will often encounter "temporally" in academic, technical, or philosophical writing. A project might be "temporally constrained," meaning its progress is limited by timing or schedule. In philosophy, "temporal" often contrasts with "eternal," pointing to the human experience of living within time. It is a word that invites you to see the world as a chain of connected moments. So, when you describe something "temporally," you are focusing on the "when" as part of a wider pattern rather than as a single isolated point on a calendar.
Examples
- 1
Historical order
The museum arranged the exhibit temporally, beginning with the oldest artifacts.
- 2
Film structure
The film jumps temporally between the trial and the events leading up to it.
- 3
Scene comparison
The two scenes are similar visually, but they are far apart temporally.
- 4
Medical timing
Her headaches were temporally linked to the new medication.
- Patterntemporally linked to + event
happening around the same time as it
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Research analysis
The researchers compared the changes both spatially and temporally.
- Phrasespatially and temporally
by place and by time
See also
Similar
- chronologically
- in terms of time
- timewise
Shades of meaning
- sequentially
- diachronically
Contrast
Do not confuse
Used with (collocations)
- temporally ordered
- temporally related
- temporally adjacent
Word family
Explore
- time sequence
- causality
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- temporallyadverb