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
Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said there were injuries and significant damage in Quibdo, the provincial capital, and warned residents about potential aftershocks. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 The provincial headquarters are located in Nairobi, and the church conducts much of its work through diocesan offices, educational institutions, health care ministries, and development programs. — Stephanie Triplettall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 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
  1. parochial
  2. peasant
  3. small
  4. hick
  5. petty
  6. yokel
  7. narrow
  8. clown
Adjective
  • Several residents who spoke at the meetings characterized the opposition as a vocal minority of residents who have fixated on a few mostly parochial issues.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026
  • All but one, Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, were either parochial or had some religious affiliation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 July 2026
Definition of parochial
Noun
  • Just as with the Romans, we peasants are treated to a spectacle to distract us from the reality of the abject impoverishment of the social safety net and the abandonment of the poor.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Long before the official ban on private farming was lifted in 1982, peasants across China spontaneously reintroduced private ownership in defiance of socialist doctrine.
    — Rainer Zitelmann, Space.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of peasant
Adjective
  • The merch was originally made for OpenAI employees to purchase on an internal site, but the team decided to make a small capsule collection available to the public.
    — T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Rival online retailers Ozon and Yandex Market use smaller depots spread over a wider network.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 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
  • And yet the office—its smells and politics, its grievances petty, existential, or edifying—must have made an impression.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Look no further for a wake up call than these three actors representing House Hightower, powerful and imposing in their own right, but just as catty and petty as the Lannisters at the end of the day.
    — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 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
  • Enclosed by a network of 13th-century walls, the narrow streets of old York host myriad awe-inspiring relics from its pre-industrial past, perhaps the most famous being York Minster, one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals anywhere.
    — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The noun developed later for something removed or separated—hence a narrow strip of land, cloth, or material.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of narrow
Noun
  • There’s deeply brutal local lore, endless cornfields and teenagers trying to escape a killer clown.
    — Alaina Urquhart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026
  • An Illinois teen has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly committing a deadly stabbing attack while dressed in a clown outfit.
    — Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of clown

Browse Nearby Words

provinces
provincial
provincialism
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Cite this Entry

“Provincial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provincial. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of provincial for Spanish Speakers

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