provincial Hear it!

provincial Definition

pro·vin·cial (prə vin′s̸həl, prō-)

adjective

  1. of or belonging to a province
  2. having the ways, speech, attitudes, etc. of a certain province
  3. of or like that of rural provinces; countrified; rustic
  4. designating or of a style, esp. of 18th-cent. European furniture, that was characteristic of the provinces and was a simpler and plainer copy of the style characteristic of the capital and cultural centers
  5. narrow; limited; unsophisticated a provincial outlook

Etymology: ME prouyncial < MFr < L provincialis

noun

  1. a native of a province
  2. a provincial person; esp., a narrow-minded or unsophisticated person

provincial Related Forms

pro·vin′·cially adverb

provincial Synonyms

provincial

modif.

rude, unpolished, countrified; see rural.

provincial Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • first: He succeeded Howard as Vicar-General of the English Dominicans in 1676 and later became the first Provincial of the restored English Province.
  • European: In October of this last year, the British Province hosted the annual conference of the European Jesuit provincials.

Modifies a noun

  • governor: The daughter of a Turkish provincial governor, she came to Hilla in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire.
  • synod: Through a common provincial synod, over which he presided himself, it could not be done.
  • legislature: There is also a provincial legislature with 45 seats, 9 of which are reserved for the armed forces.
  • capital: All Elan locations are listed on the reverse along with town plans of the seven provincial capitals.
  • directorate: The provincial education directorate of Maputo designed its strategic plan in 1998.
  • backwater: The location is switched from a provincial backwater of Imperial Russia to a far-flung outpost of the British Empire, Trinidad.

Modifying Another Word

  • Prior: In 1992 he was elected Prior Provincial of the English Province of Dominicans, based in London.
  • even: Most cities have more than one newspaper, and even provincial capitals could have upto 8 morning dailies.
  • distinctly: Indeed, the unknown architect may well have been a local builder since his interpretation of the elements in the design is distinctly provincial.
  • somewhat: As a somewhat provincial lad I've still less than ten slots under my belt since I started out in May this year.
  • so: One of the bad things about England is that it is so provincial.
  • primarily: De Vere Hotels is an upmarket, primarily provincial hotel chain targeted at the conference, corporate and leisure markets.

Used with adjective complement

elect: In 1992 he was elected Prior Provincial of the English Province of Dominicans, based in London.