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Definition of provincial - 2 dictionary results

pro⋅vin⋅cial

  [pruh-vin-shuhl]
Use provincial in a Sentence
–adjective
1. belonging or peculiar to some particular province; local: the provincial newspaper.
2. of or pertaining to the provinces: provincial customs; provincial dress.
3. 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.
4. (often initial capital letter) Fine Arts. noting or pertaining to the styles of architecture, furniture, etc., found in the provinces, esp. when imitating styles currently or formerly in fashion in or around the capital: Italian Provincial.
5. History/Historical. of or pertaining to any of the American provinces of Great Britain.
–noun
6. a person who lives in or comes from the provinces.
7. a person who lacks urban sophistication or broad-mindedness.
8. Ecclesiastical.
a. the head of an ecclesiastical province.
b. a member of a religious order presiding over the order in a given district or province.
Origin:
1300–50; ME (n. and adj.) < L prōvinciālis. See province, -al 1

Related forms:
pro⋅vin⋅cial⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
3. rural, small-town.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To provincial
pro·vin·cial   (prə-vĭn'shəl)   
adj.  

  1. Of or relating to a province.

  2. Of or characteristic of people from the provinces; not fashionable or sophisticated: "Well-educated professional women ... made me feel uncomfortably provincial" (J.R. Salamanca).

  3. Limited in perspective; narrow and self-centered.

n.  

  1. A native or inhabitant of the provinces.

  2. A person who has provincial ideas or habits.

pro·vin'cial·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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