provident

adjective

ˈprä-və-dənt How to pronounce provident (audio)
Definition of providentnext
1
as in economical
careful in the management of money or resources it is possible to be provident without being miserly

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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

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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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provident
  1. economical
  2. cautious
  3. saving
  4. careful
  5. prudent
  6. proactive
  7. farsighted
  8. prescient
Adjective
  • For a more economical option, a recording-only version of the show will be screened on select Sundays and weeknights during the Sacramento run.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Rival executives laud the company for investing in new ideas but wonder if there’s a more economical way to do so.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of economical
Adjective
  • Arellano contends that Becerra should project a more forceful, less cautious persona, drawing on the immigrant and working-class experience of Latino families.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Be cautious with financial ventures before taking unnecessary risks.
    — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of cautious
Adjective
  • It can be stripped through re-saving or format conversion, which is why the two systems are meant to complement each other.
    — Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Less saving and more investment mean more competitive bidding for funds and therefore higher interest rates.
    — Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of saving
Adjective
  • Democratic congressional candidates will also need to be careful about balancing partisan messages to their base with more measured appeals to independent voters.
    — Julio Borquez, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026
  • But perhaps the biggest challenge of all was being extremely careful not to pass moral judgment on the story or any of the characters being portrayed.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • In my view, a multinational AI task force of government and private sector experts from a range of disciplines would be more prudent than creating an AI Force, a quasi-military entity that would institutionalize AI’s worst impulses.
    — Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
  • For decades, prudent stewardship meant protecting wealth from uncertainty.
    — Walid Chiniara, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of prudent
Adjective
  • Steenbergen described a future in which AI makes travel planning more seamless, personalized, and proactive.
    — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Losing proactive protection The reinterpretations of the Endangered Species Act change the law from one that is proactive to one that takes action only after there has been immediate and intentional physical harm.
    — Timothy Randhir, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of proactive
Adjective
  • Some farsighted experts have warned that AI could devastate the job market and widen the divisions that mark today’s politics and society.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Private markets chronically undersave, leaving future generations with less capital than a farsighted society would choose to bequeath.
    — James Broughel, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of farsighted
Adjective
  • Some Americans saw things differently, and their prescient warnings form the backbone of Hitchcock’s body politic.
    — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Alas, Kissinger may have been uncannily prescient about technology and its impact on global power, but his prescriptions on how to avert AI disaster haven’t aged well.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of prescient

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Cite this Entry

“Provident.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provident. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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