MEANING
To postpone a decision or definite action by using delay, compromise, or evasive responses.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- temporize with an opponent
- a temporizing response
On the page
The minister temporized until the returning messenger could be heard.
She chose to temporize with the impatient visitors rather than refuse them outright.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- temporize
- Past tense
- temporized
- Past participle
- temporized
- Present participle
- temporizing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- temporize
- Present continuous
- am/is/are temporizing
- Present perfect
- have/has temporized
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been temporizing
- Past
- temporized
- Past continuous
- was/were temporizing
- Past perfect
- had temporized
- Past perfect continuous
- had been temporizing
- Future
- will temporize
- Future continuous
- will be temporizing
- Future perfect
- will have temporized
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been temporizing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: temporize; temporizes; temporized; temporized; temporizing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: temporizes.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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