1
as in economical
careful in the management of money or resources
it is possible to be provident without being miserly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cautious
having or showing awareness of and preparation for the future
her provident measures kept us safe while we waited out the hurricane
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of provident
The ordinance also recognizes domestic workers as formal workers and extends protections to employees of non-profit organizations, including eligibility for provident fund and pension schemes.
—
Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
My brother-in-law was not what one calls a provident father.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2024
For example, many cities have begun allowing parents to help their children buy an apartment using their housing provident funds, a kind of compulsory saving program in China.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022
Its pilots are angry over not having received the company’s contribution towards their provident fund since 2020, even as pay cuts continue.
—Niharika Sharma, Quartz, 13 July 2022
Social Security would likely be replaced also with a provident-fund system, basically a private retirement account with mandatory contributions, with backup provisions if this proves to be insufficient in old age.
—Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2021
That led to another announcement this spring, which prevented people from using BN(O) passports for the early withdrawal of mandatory provident funds (MPFs).
—Michelle Toh and Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, 26 Aug. 2021
The deficits, however, demand a more provident approach to the ballooning defense budget (now larger than everything else in the federal discretionary budget combined).
—Jessica T. Mathews, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020
The combined employer-and-employee contribution rates into the city’s central provident fund – the main pension plan – currently drop from 37% at 55 years of age to as low as 12.5% for older workers.
—Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019
Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
My brother-in-law was not what one calls a provident father.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2024
For example, many cities have begun allowing parents to help their children buy an apartment using their housing provident funds, a kind of compulsory saving program in China.
—Jacky Wong, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022
Its pilots are angry over not having received the company’s contribution towards their provident fund since 2020, even as pay cuts continue.
—Niharika Sharma, Quartz, 13 July 2022
Social Security would likely be replaced also with a provident-fund system, basically a private retirement account with mandatory contributions, with backup provisions if this proves to be insufficient in old age.
—Nathan Lewis, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2021
That led to another announcement this spring, which prevented people from using BN(O) passports for the early withdrawal of mandatory provident funds (MPFs).
—Michelle Toh and Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, 26 Aug. 2021
The deficits, however, demand a more provident approach to the ballooning defense budget (now larger than everything else in the federal discretionary budget combined).
—Jessica T. Mathews, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020
The combined employer-and-employee contribution rates into the city’s central provident fund – the main pension plan – currently drop from 37% at 55 years of age to as low as 12.5% for older workers.
—Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provident
Adjective
-
Hampton Inn, the hotel chain’s economical option, is the world’s largest lodging name, with more than 350,000 rooms spread across over 40 countries.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Over time, his writing became economical in another sense.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Be cautious of any company that pushes a specific program without understanding your circumstances.—
Rebecca Safier,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Visitors should be cautious about going into a sea cave without a guide, as a swell can flow into it and dramatically raise the water level in a matter of seconds, pushing kayaks into rocks and leaving little air for those trapped inside.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Detecting such tiny numbers of atoms takes time, and the setup requires careful calibration and advanced equipment.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The former are made using a resource-saving, closed-loop process.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And that’s allowing Fed policymakers to be prudent, waiting on the sidelines to see everything play out before making a call to raise or lower rates, as several of them have said in recent public speeches, particularly the officials who dissented this week.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Trading back removed a lot of drama, but was the prudent way to go.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The tests allow the patient to get a baseline of their current condition and give the ability for people to be proactive with their heart health instead of reactive.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
With wildfire risk now a year-round reality in Southern California, Cox takes a proactive approach to preparedness.—
Cox Communications,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These word assemblages could then be linked to one another or branch off in entirely new directions—a farsighted idea for the time.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Dec. 2025
-
Avoiding these dangers and reducing the U.S. economy’s exposure to risk requires a careful, farsighted strategy that recognizes the reality of the United States’ place in today’s world.—
Don Graves,
Foreign Affairs,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Now, the wait is on to see if such hopes were prescient or just wishful thinking.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
These warnings were prescient, as the ensuing decades of the Cold War repeatedly brought the world to the brink of annihilation.—
Daniel Holz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Provident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provident. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
