provincial
Americanadjective
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belonging or peculiar to some particular province; local.
the provincial newspaper.
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of or relating to the provinces.
provincial customs; provincial dress.
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having or showing the manners, viewpoints, etc., considered characteristic of unsophisticated inhabitants of a province; rustic; narrow or illiberal; parochial.
a provincial point of view.
- Synonyms:
- small-town, rural
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(often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to the styles of architecture, furniture, etc., found in the provinces, especially when imitating styles currently or formerly in fashion in or around the capital.
Italian Provincial.
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History/Historical. of or relating to any of the American provinces of Great Britain.
adjective
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of or connected with a province
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characteristic of or connected with the provinces; local
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having attitudes and opinions supposedly common to people living in the provinces; rustic or unsophisticated; limited
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denoting a football team representing a province, one of the historical administrative areas of New Zealand
noun
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a person lacking the sophistications of city life; rustic or narrow-minded individual
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a person coming from or resident in a province or the provinces
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the head of an ecclesiastical province
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the head of a major territorial subdivision of a religious order
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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provincialitynoun
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interprovincialadjective
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nonprovincialadjective
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quasi-provincialadjective
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semiprovincialadjective
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subprovincialadjective
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unprovincialadjective
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nonprovinciallyadverb
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provinciallyadverb
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quasi-provinciallyadverb
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semiprovinciallyadverb
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unprovinciallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of provincial
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (noun and adjective), from Latin prōvinciālis, from prōvinci(a) province + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
A provincial person comes from the backwaters. Someone from a small province outside of Provence, France, might seem a little more provincial and less worldly than someone from, say, Paris. Something or someone provincial belongs to a province, or region outside of the city. Provincial has a straightforward meaning when describing where someone is from, but it has some other shades of meaning too. Something provincial can be quaint and in a pleasing rural or country style, but it also can imply someone less sophisticated, as in someone with provincial, or simple, tastes. Individuals or groups of people who are considered narrow-minded are often labeled provincial, even if they're from the city.
Vocabulary lists containing provincial
The Great Gatsby
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Grade 11, List 5
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Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Only with the greatest reluctance is he drawn away from building sites to quell yet another provincial rebellion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Carney will also need buy-in from provincial premiers to reinstate the sale of US alcohol, as liquor sales are controlled by the provinces, not the federal government.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“It’s been a helpful piece of leverage for the federal negotiators to have these provincial alcohol bans as a bargaining chip,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
My own visits to provincial cities and towns in recent years have underscored how some local Taliban officials try to find pragmatic solutions.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
In June of 1953, a public meeting was called by the provincial executive of the ANC and the TIC at Sophiatown’s Odin cinema to discuss opposition to the removal.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
In this novel, a motley band of provincials, army deserters, and disenchanted élites descend on Nigeria’s largest city, and story lines and twists abound.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 25, 2018
During his 1917 second inaugural speech, for instance, Woodrow Wilson memorably declared "we are provincials no longer."
From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2017
When it comes to literature, Americans really are provincials.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 11, 2012
Blistering Bands and Bingo Along with innumerable other starry-eyed provincials, the Miser moved to New York more or less because of “downtown.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2012
He knew how well the provincials were arming, preparing to welcome him.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
