Definition of providentialnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word providential different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of providential are fortunate, happy, and lucky. While all these words mean "meeting with unforeseen success," providential more definitely implies the help or intervention of a higher power.

a providential change in the weather

When is fortunate a more appropriate choice than providential?

While the synonyms fortunate and providential are close in meaning, fortunate suggests being rewarded beyond one's deserts.

fortunate in my investments

How is happy related to other words for providential?

Happy combines the implications of lucky and fortunate with stress on being blessed.

a series of happy accidents

In what contexts can lucky take the place of providential?

The meanings of lucky and providential largely overlap; however, lucky stresses the agency of chance in bringing about a favorable result.

won because of a lucky bounce

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 providential His lurching flow sifts through all the pieces, gradually assembling them into a warm, providential ode to the two men who fundamentally shaped both his life and, unwittingly, each other’s. Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025 Russia’s longstanding pursuit of a global position beyond its means—its aspiration to be a providential power, with a special mission in the world—has led it, again and again, to autocratic rule. WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022 Many a past biographer has observed that Lincoln understood himself as an actor in a providential drama. John Fabian Witt, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2022 Her support in polls steadily expanded from 4 percent in 2018 to 25 percent in a country where even moderate voters have grown numb to Fascist-Communist name calling, but remain enthusiastic about new, and potentially providential, leaders. Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2022 See All Example Sentences for providential
Recent Examples of Synonyms for providential
Adjective
  • No one won the Powerball jackpot or the $2 million Match 5 + Power Play prize, but one lucky person in California won the $1 million Match 5 prize.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Whereas John Wooden or Dean Smith may have figured out how to make it today, Bob Knight would be lucky to keep a job as a gym teacher at a middle school in Homeless, Ohio.
    Mac Engel June 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • While his vineyard has enough bulk wine business to keep it up and running without Canada, Heuvel, who is also a board member of the California Association of Winegrape Growers, said other vintners will not be as fortunate.
    Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026
  • Many who invested in those cryptocurrencies — not to mention bitcoin itself, crypto’s largest asset — have not been as fortunate in the past year and a half.
    Rob Wile, NBC news, 2 July 2026
Adjective
  • At the beach, maybe, at a barbecue or whatever place sets fireworks pinwheeling through your holiday-happy mind.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Like many great works of American literature, the book is an unflinching portrait of a seemingly happy family held together by hubris and fear of change.
    Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • There’s something fortuitous about a bird of prey being the first one tracked by the Orlando location.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026
  • There was a fortuitous incident in high school that substantially upgraded Becerra’s higher education and undoubtedly his career.
    George Skelton, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • That Iran targeted Bahrain likely was not coincidental.
    Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 27 June 2026
  • Born in Liverpool to a Norwegian father and a French mother in 2002, his middle name is Gerard, which feels too coincidental not to be linked with the Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier, a Frenchman who was heavily involved with the France national team across his career.
    James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Providential.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/providential. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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