provident

adjective

prov·​i·​dent ˈprä-və-dənt How to pronounce provident (audio)
-ˌdent
1
2
: making provision for the future : prudent
providently adverb

Examples of provident in a Sentence

it is possible to be provident without being miserly her provident measures kept us safe while we waited out the hurricane
Recent Examples on the Web For example, many cities have begun allowing parents to help their children buy an apartment using their housing provident funds, a kind of compulsory saving program in China. Jacky Wong, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Its pilots are angry over not having received the company’s contribution towards their provident fund since 2020, even as pay cuts continue. Niharika Sharma, Quartz, 13 July 2022 The deficits, however, demand a more provident approach to the ballooning defense budget (now larger than everything else in the federal discretionary budget combined). Jessica T. Mathews, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020 Social Security would likely be replaced also with a provident-fund system, basically a private retirement account with mandatory contributions, with backup provisions if this proves to be insufficient in old age. Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2021 That led to another announcement this spring, which prevented people from using BN(O) passports for the early withdrawal of mandatory provident funds (MPFs). Michelle Toh and Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, 26 Aug. 2021 The combined employer-and-employee contribution rates into the city’s central provident fund – the main pension plan – currently drop from 37% at 55 years of age to as low as 12.5% for older workers. Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provident.' 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

Middle English, from Latin provident-, providens, from present participle of providēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of provident was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near provident

Cite this Entry

“Provident.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provident. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

provident

adjective
prov·​i·​dent ˈpräv-əd-ənt How to pronounce provident (audio)
-ə-ˌdent
1
: providing for future needs
2
: frugal
providently adverb

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