1
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
2
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
My brother-in-law was not what one calls a provident father.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2024
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
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
Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
My brother-in-law was not what one calls a provident father.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2024
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provident
Adjective
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In the foothills of the Andes Mountains, outside Santiago, Chile, Casa Oruga is a modern home that demonstrates the possibilities of combining design-forward architecture and economical shipping containers.—
Caitlin Gunther,
Architectural Digest,
17 June 2026
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Tubers are economical and offer variety, but pre-started plants provide instant results; stake taller dahlias for support.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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Katz was cautious about the European enthusiasm.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
17 June 2026
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Some analysts are even more cautious.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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For more time-saving, clever kitchen tools at Amazon, keep reading.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
5 May 2026
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The former are made using a resource-saving, closed-loop process.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Be careful when riding back downtown on a bike, as the hill notoriously increases cycling speed.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2026
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The Main Match Concealer is available in 22 shades, with careful consideration for South Asian undertones (which are often breezed by).—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
13 June 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps the radical thought of a black woman as president made this approach seem prudent.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
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Would taking his advice be prudent or practical?—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Other states would do well to follow this proactive approach.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
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Your business changes and your interactions change, so a firm must be proactive in identifying the best possible experience today for the customer.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Aging will go much further toward happiness and satisfaction if the more farsighted among them will begin to organize societies for self-help and self-direction, rather than for the promotion of economic experiments of unknown dimensions and unforeseeable consequences.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
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These word assemblages could then be linked to one another or branch off in entirely new directions—a farsighted idea for the time.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Years before the reality TV craze, Real Life is scarily prescient in its depiction of lives ruined by the presence of cameras, while also operating as a hilarious observational comedy about a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
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Early in its post-war development, Walnut Creek leaders made a key decision that seems especially prescient, given the recent decline of indoor shopping malls due to the growth of online shopping and the resurgence of downtowns.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Provident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provident. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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