provincial 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of provincialnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

provincial

2 of 2

noun

prə-ˈvin(t)-shəl How to pronounce provincial (audio)
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
The attack wounded an additional 200 recruits at the military camp in the southern province of Shabwa, the provincial government there said. — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Any separation would also require constitutional negotiations involving provincial and federal governments. — Sheena Rossiter, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
Sanders is a Catholic priest and former Augustinian provincial in California and lives in the Augustinian community in North Park. — Gary Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 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
  1. parochial
  2. peasant
  3. small
  4. hick
  5. petty
  6. yokel
  7. narrow
  8. clown
Adjective
  • And yet, bizarrely, what seems like an entirely parochial story will surely have legs worldwide.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The pair led an aggressive recruitment effort and injected parochial, populist policy proposals into its traditionally moderate platform.
    — Spencer Kimball,Garrett Downs,Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of parochial
Noun
  • The serfs and peasants who filled the 1917 Russian Revolution and Mao’s Long March did not understand Marxist dialectics.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In the shadow on the ground, your back bowed out unflatteringly, like a peasant’s hump.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of peasant
Adjective
  • Murphy said doctors diagnosed him with a small hemorrhagic stroke, which is a bleed in the brain.
    — Kevin Freking, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • This design improves control over unwanted current leakage as transistors become smaller.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 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
  • The former sheriff claimed Luna has presided over a deep decline in department morale and staffing while being too soft on drug users, the homeless and petty criminals.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Takeshi’s father is a petty and proud man, in ways continually expanded upon throughout the film’s runtime, though how he’s actually framed never truly changes.
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of petty
Noun
  • Lisa lets a dolphin named Snorky escape from Marine World after seeing his trainers taunt him for the amusement of slack-jawed yokels.
    — Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of yokel
Adjective
  • FinFET transistors FinFETs are transistors with narrow silicon channels shaped like upright fins rather than flat structures.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Instead of insisting on playing through pressure, defenders cleared the ball when necessary, stayed compact and protected a narrow lead.
    — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of narrow
Noun
  • Two clowns in serious legal trouble colluded to put the entire planet in an economic crisis.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The procession will also welcome 52 floats, 31 clown crews, nine specialty units (such as trycaloons, or balloons ridden on tricycles), seven marching bands, and five balloonicles (that’s a balloon-vehicle hybrid).
    — Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of clown

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provinces
provincial
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Cite this Entry

“Provincial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provincial. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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