provincial
provincial Lexical Profile
provincial Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Of or relating to an administrative province or the regions outside the capital city of a country.
"The provincial government announced new funding for rural highways and regional hospitals."
Having or showing a narrow-minded, unsophisticated, or insular outlook considered characteristic of people from rural or outlying regions.
"Having lived in major global capitals for decades, she found the town's social attitudes frustratingly provincial."
• noun
An inhabitant of a province or the regions outside the capital city, especially one regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.
"The novel satirizes wealthy urban elites who look down upon visiting provincials."
A religious superior who oversees all the monastic houses or chapters of a religious order within a designated territorial province.
"The Jesuit provincial visited the local parish school during his annual inspection of the region."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'provincial' is completely neutral when referring to an administrative division (such as a provincial government in Canada), it carries a distinctly condescending or derogatory tone when used to describe a person's tastes, manners, or worldview.
• Rhymes for provincial
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French provincial, from Latin provincialis ('relating to a province'), derived from provincia ('an administrative territory outside Italy under Roman rule').