provident

American  

[prov-i-duhnt] / ˈprɒv ɪ dənt /

adjective

1. having or showing foresight; providing providing carefully for the future.

   Synonyms:

   prudent, cautious

   Antonyms:

   careless

2. characterized by or proceeding from foresight.

   provident care.

3. mindful in making provision (usually followed byof ).

4. economical; frugal; thrifty.

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provident British  

/ ˈprɒvɪdənt /

adjective

1. providing for future needs

2. exercising foresight in the management of one's affairs or resources

3. characterized by or proceeding from foresight

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Other Word Forms

• nonprovident adjective
• nonprovidently adverb
• overprovident adjective
• overprovidently adverb
• overprovidentness noun
• providently adverb
• providentness noun
• unprovident adjective
• unprovidently adverb

Etymology

Origin of provident

1400–50; Middle English < Latin prōvident- (stem of prōvidēns ), present participle of prōvidēre to look out for, provide

Explanation

If you are provident, that means you plan carefully for the future. You have your Christmas lights up in early December, you have a well-stocked pantry, and you have some savings tucked away just in case. The word provident traces back to the Latin word providere, meaning "foresee, provide." The word can be used to describe someone who looks into the future — foresees the future, in a sense — and makes decisions based on future needs. It’s often used to describe a thrifty individual who denies himself something today in order to save up for tomorrow, but it can describe actions as well — such as a provident decision that ends up preventing ruin down the road.

Example Sentences

When his public provident fund - a government-backed tax-free investment - matured last year, he sought a way to secure his retirement.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2025

This, too, turned out to be provident for the driver, as the area in which he crashed has little to no cellphone reception.

From Washington Times • Jul. 26, 2023

It may be necessary to restructure loans obtained locally with proper safeguards for banks and employees’ provident funds from which the government has borrowed, he said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023

The city of 5.5 million people also urged banks to cut minimum down payments for housing provident funds, used to help fund home purchases.

From Reuters • Aug. 9, 2022

He commuted his pension and provident fund to buy a Bharat bottle-sealing machine.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy