pro·vin·cial
prə-ˈvin(t)-shəl 
1
: the superior of a province of a Roman Catholic religious order
2
: one living in or coming from a province
3
a
: a person of local or restricted interests or outlook
b
: a person lacking urban polish or refinement
1
: of, relating to, or coming from a province
2
a
: limited in outlook : narrow
b
: lacking the polish of urban society : unsophisticated
3
: of or relating to a decorative style (as in furniture) marked by simplicity, informality, and relative plainness
especially
: french provincial
Synonyms
Examples of provincial in a Sentence
Noun
the confidence man figured that fleecing these provincials would be easy
Adjective
She speaks with a provincial accent.
an artist who has been criticized for being provincial and old-fashioned
His provincial attitude was a source of irritation for her.
She is too provincial to try foreign foods.
Recent Examples on the Web
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021
Canada’s capital is under two states of emergency, one local and another provincial.
—Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2022
After the couple petitioned the authorities in the provincial and the national capitals, Ms. Li said, the local police told them last summer that the body of an unidentified young man was their son’s.
—New York Times, 31 Jan. 2022
In Heaney, the inarticulate, the mumblers, the provincial found a powerful well source of description to draw from.
—Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022
The China Daily newspaper said in 2016 that the party has a total of 2,900 training centers nationwide at different levels of government, ranging from county to provincial.
—Emily Wang Fujiyama, Star Tribune, 1 July 2021
The fans won on Tuesday, an indication of how their sense of ownership over clubs and their traditions can be mobilized in ways that might seem quaint and provincial in the American context.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2021
For provincials like my mother and me, Moscow meant a small break from the daily vicissitudes of late-period Soviet life.
—Anastasia Edel, The New York Review of Books, 6 Mar. 2020
Tacitus wrote of the barbarous treatment of the townspeople by the Britons, remarking that it had been reckoned that a total of 70,000 Romans and provincials were killed at Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium.
—Richard Hingley, National Geographic, 22 Oct. 2019
Anne Higonnet, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023
His slightest pronouncements fattened a thousand provincial newspaper columns.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
During its more than 500-year history, the White Lion Hotel has played many roles; as a coaching inn, a venue for upmarket balls and parties, a provincial theater, and now as a house.
—Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023
There’s a certain kind of theater parody made by theater people, where the characters are either provincial rubes or name-dropping, Olivier-quoting grandees of their local scene, and theater is made out to be a kind of small-town cult for the flamboyantly uncool.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023
Reuters — The bodies of at least 52 people have been recovered from the Congo River after their boat capsized late last week, a provincial minister said on Monday, warning that the death toll could rise further with many still missing.
—Reuters, CNN, 17 Oct. 2023
In the year 391, a brilliant 36-year-old professor who was on track to become a senator of the Roman Empire was instead ordained a Catholic priest in a provincial city.
—Bronwen McShea, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2023
When his father experiences a heart attack, the narrator accompanies him on a nighttime ambulance ride from their provincial city to Beijing.
—Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
Weeks after the peaceful demonstrations were violently crushed by local officials, the provincial authorities blamed the scandal on financial fraud, arrested more than 200 suspects and promised to pay depositors back.
—Laura He, CNN, 12 Oct. 2023
See More
Noun
It’s shaped like a classic coming-of-age tale: a young provincial, Eloise Turner (Thomasin McKenzie), goes to the metropolis to realize her dreams and, in the process, has her illusions dispelled.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2021
Canada’s capital is under two states of emergency, one local and another provincial.
—Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2022
After the couple petitioned the authorities in the provincial and the national capitals, Ms. Li said, the local police told them last summer that the body of an unidentified young man was their son’s.
—New York Times, 31 Jan. 2022
In Heaney, the inarticulate, the mumblers, the provincial found a powerful well source of description to draw from.
—Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2022
The China Daily newspaper said in 2016 that the party has a total of 2,900 training centers nationwide at different levels of government, ranging from county to provincial.
—Emily Wang Fujiyama, Star Tribune, 1 July 2021
The fans won on Tuesday, an indication of how their sense of ownership over clubs and their traditions can be mobilized in ways that might seem quaint and provincial in the American context.
—Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2021
For provincials like my mother and me, Moscow meant a small break from the daily vicissitudes of late-period Soviet life.
—Anastasia Edel, The New York Review of Books, 6 Mar. 2020
Tacitus wrote of the barbarous treatment of the townspeople by the Britons, remarking that it had been reckoned that a total of 70,000 Romans and provincials were killed at Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium.
—Richard Hingley, National Geographic, 22 Oct. 2019
Adjective
An awkward, sallow, provincial, minor army officer, Napoleon, was irresistibly drawn to Joséphine, attracted by her proximity to the most powerful men in France.
—Anne Higonnet, Vogue, 17 Nov. 2023
His slightest pronouncements fattened a thousand provincial newspaper columns.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
During its more than 500-year history, the White Lion Hotel has played many roles; as a coaching inn, a venue for upmarket balls and parties, a provincial theater, and now as a house.
—Ruth Bloomfield, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023
There’s a certain kind of theater parody made by theater people, where the characters are either provincial rubes or name-dropping, Olivier-quoting grandees of their local scene, and theater is made out to be a kind of small-town cult for the flamboyantly uncool.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2023
Reuters — The bodies of at least 52 people have been recovered from the Congo River after their boat capsized late last week, a provincial minister said on Monday, warning that the death toll could rise further with many still missing.
—Reuters, CNN, 17 Oct. 2023
In the year 391, a brilliant 36-year-old professor who was on track to become a senator of the Roman Empire was instead ordained a Catholic priest in a provincial city.
—Bronwen McShea, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2023
When his father experiences a heart attack, the narrator accompanies him on a nighttime ambulance ride from their provincial city to Beijing.
—Dennis Zhou, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
Weeks after the peaceful demonstrations were violently crushed by local officials, the provincial authorities blamed the scandal on financial fraud, arrested more than 200 suspects and promised to pay depositors back.
—Laura He, CNN, 12 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provincial.' 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
Noun
in sense 1, from Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin provincialis, from provincia ecclesiastical province; in other senses, from Latin provincialis, from provincia province
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of provincial was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing provincial
Dictionary Entries Near provincial
Cite this Entry
“Provincial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provincial. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
provincial
1 of 2 noun
pro·vin·cial
prə-ˈvin-chəl
1
: a person living in or coming from a province
2
: a provincial person
provincial
2 of 2 adjective1
: of, relating to, or coming from a province
2
a
: limited in outlook : narrow
b
: lacking the ways and manners of city people
3
: of or relating to a style (as in furniture) marked by simple design and plain decoration
a French provincial table
provinciality
noun
-ˌvin-chē-ˈal-ət-ē
More from Merriam-Webster on provincial
Nglish: Translation of provincial for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of provincial for Arabic Speakers
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