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 China’s largest Spring Lantern Festival celebration takes place near the main Confucius temple in Nanjing, the capital of the eastern Jiangsu province, but events are held in other cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, as well as in rural regions. Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025 Archaeologists uncovered an extremely rare and massive Roman circular monument in Upper Bavaria, shedding new light on Raetia, an ancient Roman province in southern Germany. Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2025 The fossils of the new dinosaur species, named Huayracursor jaguensis, were found in the Santo Domingo Formation in the Andes of La Rioja province in northwestern Argentina, according to a paper Thursday in Nature. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2025 Afghanistan withdrew from a Twenty20 international tri-series in Pakistan following the deaths of three local cricketers, which the Afghanistan Cricket Board attributed to military strikes in Paktika province. Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for province
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • No injuries were reported from the incident, which took place in an area where the highway patrol had stopped traffic during the live fire exercise at Camp Pendleton, the agency said in a statement Sunday.
    Susannah Cullinane, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The release noted terrain in the area can be rugged and steep and cautioned visitors to stay a safe distance from the edge.
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The police department previously booked him into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department High Desert Detention Center on a murder charge, which was dropped during his arraignment on Tuesday, according to ABC7.
    Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Spokespeople for Arizona’s Medicaid and Economic Security departments — Johnny Córdoba and Brett Bezio, respectively — did not share data on how many people participated in the state’s pilot test nor describe the outcome.
    Rae Ellen Bichell, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Stargazers interested in getting a closer look at the wonders of the night sky should check out our roundups of the best telescopes and binoculars available in 2025, while those new to the hobby should read our roundup of the best smartphone astronomy apps for navigating the post sunset realm.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Since March 30, the planet of dreams and subconscious realms has been testing the waters in Aries, hinting at a new collective era of self-reinvention and spiritual autonomy.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • For dramatic effect, each shrub should be given a separate domain in the garden.
    Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The popularity of indoor climbing has helped to make the sport more accessible to a broader swath of the American population, injecting new diversity into an activity that had long been the domain of young white men.
    Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Nobody Wants This is a tougher case because its leads, Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, are just so charming and many of its observations about love and family are just so spot-on that weaker elements can get lost in the froth.
    Judy Berman, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • There’s another element of the current concern regarding due process that relates to the fate of poor Cinna.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Ansari had performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, a move that drew scrutiny due to the kingdom's record on human rights and the proximity of the festival to the anniversary of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Tasked with building a fashion ecosystem at the lightning speed that defines the rapidly liberalizing kingdom, Cakmak initiated Riyadh Fashion Week in 2023, then shining the spotlight on about 30 local talents.
    Miles Socha, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Gators raced out to a 13-7 lead against the Bulldogs after two quarters, but fans were not pacified by the product on the field.
    Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Galen DiDomizio, who works in the medical field, brought his 2-year-old daughter to the protest, carrying her on his back.
    Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Kirk’s night also included a nine-pitch walk in the first and a single and two-run homer in the nine-run sixth.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Breathe in the salt air during sunrise yoga on the beach or slow down with a meditative walk along the shore, with the clear waters of the Caribbean as your backdrop.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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