Synonym Chooser

How is the word province distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of province are duty, function, and office. While all these words mean "the acts or operations expected of a person or thing," province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire — Anne Brontë

Where would duty be a reasonable alternative to province?

The words duty and province are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case — R. B. Taney

When is function a more appropriate choice than province?

The meanings of function and province largely overlap; however, function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information — Aldous Huxley

When can office be used instead of province?

The synonyms office and province are sometimes interchangeable, but office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor — W. E. Gladstone

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 province The governor of Tehran accused Israel of striking 12 areas of his province earlier in the morning, Iranian state media reported. Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025 Xi, as leader of the southern province of Guangdong, was at the forefront of that process. Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025 During the 11th and 12th centuries, the Netherlands’ central province of Utrecht was an important commercial center in Europe. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025 Government officials in Turkey have also been cautioned to maintain a low profile and avoid personal travel to the country's southernmost provinces. Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • One area of contention is around the cost of the reconciliation legislation.
    Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 26 June 2025
  • Inside safety: Anything that is plugged into an electrical outlet is dangerous to touch when a thunderstorm is in the area.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • A day after a man was shot and killed by Lenexa police, the department declined to provide additional details about the shooting, including whether the man fired at officers.
    Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2025
  • After a federal lawsuit accused USDA's data demand of violating federal privacy laws, a senior official said in court filings that data would not be collected until the department satisfied legal requirements and could ensure the data would be appropriately safeguarded.
    Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Thoughts: The Peril Of Cognitive Offloading And Distorted Reality The realm of thought is particularly susceptible to the negative feedback loops generated by generative AI.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • The powers of their music uplifts the human spirit, generating a shielding force field that prevents the demonic realm from invading.
    EW.com, EW.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • That’s the domain of humans: the executive who senses when to pivot, the founder who intuits product-market fit before the metrics appear, the storyteller who moves a room, the leader who earns trust in a single conversation.
    Dror Berman, Fortune, 27 June 2025
  • So how exactly did the former domain of couples’ massages and cucumber water become the next frontier in medicine?
    Kelsey Eisen, Robb Report, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • Lamont knows the futility of trying to please everyone, which may be one element of his success.
    Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2025
  • Even Portugal, who have been naive defensively but have considerable pace in attack, could threaten in transition, and Italy will need to shore up that element of their game to avoid being caught out.
    Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Noun
  • More than translation Spanish Jews who refused to convert in 1492, meanwhile, had been forced into exile and barred from the kingdom’s colonies.
    Flora Cassen, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
  • Over the course of 12 episodes and a sequel special, viewers see the decimation of a kingdom at the hand of a flesh-eating virus, and survivors can only fend off the undead with armor, swords, bows, and arrows.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • In 2019, Williamson was the national player of the year, averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and shot 68% from the field, while Barrett was a first team All-American (22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game) and Reddish was third on the team in scoring (13.5 points per game).
    Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025
  • If gravity interacts with the Higgs field under these conditions, this interaction could change how gravity behaves.
    Victoria Corless, Space.com, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • Two of them scored on rally-killing double plays, one scored on a walk and one scored on a play where the back runner was thrown out at home.
    Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 30 June 2025
  • That remained the case in Sunday’s 12-5, rubber match win over the A’s, as Chisholm went 2-for-4 with four RBI, a solo homer, two runs scored and a walk while shining on defense.
    Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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