Adjacent Words

Providential definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PROVIDEN'TIAL, a. Effected by the providence of God; referable to divine providence; proceeding from divine direction or superintendence; as the providential contrivance of things; a providential escape from danger. How much are we indebted to God's unceasing providential care!

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: peculiarly fortunate or appropriate; as if by divine intervention; "a heaven-sent rain saved the crops"; "a providential recovery" [syn: heaven-sent, providential, miraculous]
2: relating to or characteristic of providence; "assumption that nature operates only according to a providential plan"- M.R.Cohen
3: resulting from divine providence; "providential care"; "a providential visitation" [syn: providential, divine]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1648 1. of, relating to, or determined by Providence 2. archaic marked by foresight ; prudent 3. occurring by or as if by an intervention of Providence <a providential escape> Synonyms: see lucky • providentially adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 of or by divine foresight or interposition. 2 opportune, lucky. Derivatives: providentially adv. Etymology: PROVIDENCE + -IAL, after evidential etc.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Providential Prov`i*den"tial, a. [Cf. F. providentiel.] Effected by, or referable to, divine direction or superintendence; as, the providential contrivance of thing; a providential escape. -- Prov"i*den"tial*ly, adv.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

A providential event is lucky because it happens at exactly the right time. (FORMAL) He explained the yellow fever epidemic as a providential act to discourage urban growth... The pistols were loaded so our escape is indeed providential. = fortunate ADJ • providentially Providentially, he had earlier made friends with a Russian Colonel. ADV

Moby Thesaurus

God-given, accorded, allowed, anticipant, anticipatory, appropriate, auspicious, befitting, benignant, bestowed, blessed, blessed with luck, clairvoyant, convenient, divinatory, expedient, farseeing, farsighted, favorable, favored, felicitous, fit, fitting, forehanded, foreknowing, foreseeing, foresighted, forethoughted, forethoughtful, fortunate, given, granted, gratuitous, happy, in luck, intuitive, kind, kindly, longsighted, lucky, meet, opportune, precognitive, precognizant, prepared, prescient, propitious, provident, prudent, ready, ripe, sagacious, seasonable, sortable, suitable, timely, vouchsafed, well, well-timed