as in fortunate
coming or happening by good luck especially unexpectedly
winning the lottery could not have come at a more providential time for the recently laid-off worker
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Recent Examples of providential
Russia’s longstanding pursuit of a global position beyond its means—its aspiration to be a providential power, with a special mission in the world—has led it, again and again, to autocratic rule.
—
WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022
Meacham bids to be the redeemer in chief of the narrative of American exceptionalism: the venerable if now-shopworn story in which the United States has a providential and world-historic role as a nation distinctively dedicated to human liberty.
—John Fabian Witt, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
Her support in polls steadily expanded from 4 percent in 2018 to 25 percent in a country where even moderate voters have grown numb to Fascist-Communist name calling, but remain enthusiastic about new, and potentially providential, leaders.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2022
Helping to weave all those strands into a single, elegant narrative is an Emory University astrochemist with a providential name: Susanna Widicus Weaver.
—Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2011
See All Example Sentences for providential
WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022
Meacham bids to be the redeemer in chief of the narrative of American exceptionalism: the venerable if now-shopworn story in which the United States has a providential and world-historic role as a nation distinctively dedicated to human liberty.
—John Fabian Witt, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022
Her support in polls steadily expanded from 4 percent in 2018 to 25 percent in a country where even moderate voters have grown numb to Fascist-Communist name calling, but remain enthusiastic about new, and potentially providential, leaders.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2022
Helping to weave all those strands into a single, elegant narrative is an Emory University astrochemist with a providential name: Susanna Widicus Weaver.
—Andrew Grant, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2011
See All Example Sentences for providential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for providential
Adjective
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Scientists got fortunate in this case.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Was fortunate enough to win three.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Nadel, who is openly gay, muses on how the deaths of gay men subsidized his easy, happy childhood.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Though Todd and Julie's homecoming was received with overwhelming warmth by the extended Chrisley clan and all their friends, not every member of the core crew is happy with how the pick-up went down.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Mallett has been lucky in that regard.—
La Risa R. Lynch,
jsonline.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Yet, for a team whose defense hardly made any plays for months at a time last season and dug an insurmountable hole by never getting the lucky bounce or break in a zillion one-score losses, there were no apologies.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
An incredible series of plays, a last-gasp effort, and the fortuitous foot of Matt Prater, the field goal kicker who’d been in Buffalo no more than 100 hours, booting a 32-yarder for the win.—
Coy Wire,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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That was despite knowing there’s nothing clever or fortuitous about the negligent overpayment of tax.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Those distinctions are not coincidental.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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The two targets were fighting over how to go about developing the land, which lent some tips to the investigation of their deaths, but there are also a few red herrings and coincidental events that complicate the case.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Providential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/providential. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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