PROVINCIAL Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

provincial 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of provincial

as in parochial

not broad or open in views or opinions some people regard a fear of new things as an unmistakable sign of a provincial attitude

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

provincial

2 of 2

noun

prə-ˈvin(t)-shəl

as in peasant

an awkward or simple person especially from a small town or the country the confidence man figured that fleecing these provincials would be easy

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 provincial

Adjective

Her task was to sell steel for major state and provincial construction projects. — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 The Los Angeles Times reported that the provincial leaders agreed. — Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Noun

Not long after his ordination, he was named the Jesuit provincial for Argentina, which put him in charge of the order’s activities throughout the country. — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025 The same year, he was appointed as a provincial for the order. — Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for provincial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provincial

Adjective

Among the bureaucratic, parochial, pastoral and familial spaces his work takes his clients, a reflection on roots, gentrification and the act of remaining emerges.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026
In some cases, opposition might amount to parochial not in my backyard — or NIMBY — concerns.

— Stefan Chavez-Norgaard, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of parochial

Adjective

Then handle the smaller responsibilities competing for your attention.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
Its compact permanent magnet motor enables a smaller pod diameter, reducing hydrodynamic drag while maintaining high propulsion performance.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of small

Noun

When Johnson was vice president and visiting Europe, there were reports filed by these British ambassadors in several countries that basically made fun of him as a hick.

— Wendy Naugle, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
So a bunch of hicks from Topeka were left up to our own devices of going down to Robert Hall and finding something that might be kind of cool.

— Devon Ivie, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of hick

Adjective

But armed officers dressed in camouflage alongside military vehicles have apparently not acted as enough of a deterrent to petty criminals.

— Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
The jury found both Morrow and Stanley guilty of petty misdemeanor charges of obstructing federal property, disrupting government officials’ duties and failing to comply with officials’ orders.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of petty

Noun

Kerry learned this the hard way after allowing Jordan to question what appeared to be a local yokel over the mysterious shooting at a Rushville high school football game.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
It was left to the feds in Boston to arrest Farwell, after Meatball’s local yokels adamantly refused to do anything other than try to broom the crime by one of their own.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026

Definition of yokel

Adjective

Louisville and Boise State don’t move much after narrow losses to top-10 teams.

— Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The extremely short, picometer-scale wavelength of nuclear-decay neutrinos makes the possible collective emission cone extraordinarily narrow.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of narrow

Noun

Target recently received backlash for 'offensive' Halloween costume This comes on the heels of Target apologizing in late August for a Halloween circus clown costume that critics said appeared to conjure Blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows.

— Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Cam Schlittler, no stranger to Boston beef, used an emoji to call Flemming a clown on an Instagram post.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of clown

Browse Nearby Words

provinces

provincial

provincialism

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Provincial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provincial. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of provincial

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loath

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes