PROVIDENT Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

provident

adjective

ˈprä-və-dənt

Definition of provident

as in economical

careful in the management of money or resources it is possible to be provident without being miserly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in cautious

having or showing awareness of and preparation for the future her provident measures kept us safe while we waited out the hurricane

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of provident The ordinance also recognizes domestic workers as formal workers and extends protections to employees of non-profit organizations, including eligibility for provident fund and pension schemes. — Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025 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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provident

Adjective

Although Ventura County already procures renewable electricity through a community choice energy program, local generation is expected to offer a more economical route to meeting its sustainability targets.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Stax so his drumming was so solid and in the pocket, economical with his high hats, a joy to hear.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of economical

Adjective

Florida’s Republican gubernatorial ticket is defying historic trends for a political party traditionally known for elevating white men to leadership positions — even as the GOP remains cautious about drawing attention to the shift.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Bindi, a young female wallaby, is inquisitive and extremely curious, while Wally, a young male wallaby, is more cautious and likes to look at things from afar, Borozenets said.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of cautious

Adjective

It can be stripped through re-saving or format conversion, which is why the two systems are meant to complement each other.

— Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Less saving and more investment mean more competitive bidding for funds and therefore higher interest rates.

— Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of saving

Adjective

Apply the serum directly to sparse areas of your brows, being careful to avoid letting the product touch other areas of your skin.

— Iman Balagam, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026
According to the researchers, careful process design and optimization as well as architecture simplification could help in solving most of these issues, something that industrial production focuses on much more than academic researchers.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of careful

Adjective

Critics of Modi’s prudent management of Washington have not come up with a convincing alternative strategy for how India should handle the growing power imbalance with China.

— C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
But Newsom’s new language moves away from the prudent standard and also drops the fatality requirement.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of prudent

Adjective

Private markets chronically undersave, leaving future generations with less capital than a farsighted society would choose to bequeath.

— James Broughel, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
In another farsighted plot point, Verne has his characters attempt a course-correction burn using firework-like rockets.

— Neil Oseman, Space.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of farsighted

Adjective

For many, a world with machines in charge can be hard to imagine without movies and books and their sometimes prescient visions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 July 2026
My book was meant to highlight both the personal and societal issues of early literacy deprivation, while tracking the prescient issue of increasing screen time dumbing down and dehumanizing society.

— Liza Lentini, SPIN, 21 July 2026

Definition of prescient

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“Provident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provident. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of provident

adjective

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