Synonym Chooser

How is the word province distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of province are duty, function, and office. While all these words mean "the acts or operations expected of a person or thing," province applies to a function, office, or duty that naturally or logically falls to one.

I felt it was not my province to inquire — Anne Brontë

Where would duty be a reasonable alternative to province?

The words duty and province are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, duty applies to a task or responsibility imposed by one's occupation, rank, status, or calling.

it is the judicial duty of the court, to examine the whole case — R. B. Taney

When is function a more appropriate choice than province?

The meanings of function and province largely overlap; however, function implies a definite end or purpose or a particular kind of work.

the function of language is two-fold: to communicate emotion and to give information — Aldous Huxley

When can office be used instead of province?

The synonyms office and province are sometimes interchangeable, but office is typically applied to the function or service associated with a trade or profession or a special relationship to others.

they exercise the offices of the judge, the priest, the counsellor — W. E. Gladstone

Examples 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 province Fan reportedly drove his car into a crowd of people exercising outside a stadium in Zhuhai, a coastal city in southern China's Guangdong province, on Nov. 11. Ben Brachfeld, People.com, 27 Dec. 2024 Across 17 countries, nearly a quarter million people died and 1.7 million were displaced, mostly from Aceh, an Indonesian province on the northern tip of Sumatra. Katrina Miller, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024 By law and tradition, the minister’s control of the police is limited, with operative decisions, such as how to handle an investigation or a disturbance, the sole province of professional police, not politicians. Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024 What To Know The railway line will stretch more than 400 kilometers, with key stops including Hanoi and Lang Son, a province near the Chinese border. Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for province 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for province
Noun
  • Times staff across the metropolitan area — from Long Beach to Echo Park and beyond — received the alert, which did not appear to discriminate by distance from any particular fire.
    Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
  • The centers have become refuges for many whose lives have been upended by the unprecedented fires that continue to ravage the Los Angeles area.
    Angela Yang, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • He’s worked in newsrooms all across the country, including overseeing the USA TODAY sports department.
    David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Jan. 2025
  • As tax revenues fell, local governments eliminated many of these public-sector positions, such as those at schools and police departments, to balance the books.
    Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Children's literature, from Aesop to the Brothers Grimm and more recently Roald Dahl, has always operated in the realm of the grotesque.
    Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025
  • Way back a full generation ago, the original beta realm of Path of Exile ran from August 2011 to October 2013, just over two years.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • In September, OpenAI's o1 model became the first AI system to surpass the scores of human domain experts.
    Garrison Lovely, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
  • This approach can help shed technical debt and create asset management simplicity, from security domains down to security controls.
    Kevin Lynch, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Even before 2020, which saw more than 100 Republican members of the House and Senate object to the results in response to Trump's false claims, objections had started to become more common as the electoral processes in 2000, 2004 and 2016 all involved some element of controversy.
    Miles Parks, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Still, the evidence of Chinese abuses is substantial, and the reasons for ignoring it run deep into ideologies about the injustices of a postcolonial world, at least among some elements of the political left.
    Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Sunday, December 29 The Wonderful World of Disney Presents Frozen (ABC): Fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey to find her sister, Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.
    Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 29 Dec. 2024
  • Meanwhile, in Ithaca, his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, struggle to preserve the kingdom, warding off relentless suitors who are convinced that Odysseus has died.
    Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Each comment builds your reputation as the go-to person in your field.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Once upon a time, Kansas City Star photographers assigned to work a Chiefs game would focus entirely on what happened on the field.
    Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Take a walk after a meal Blood sugar levels that fluctuate excessively can result in poor mood, fatigue and excessive hunger, and while eating a varied diet can also help, a brisk walk after eating has been scientifically proven to help balance them.
    Hannah Coates, Vogue, 1 Jan. 2025
  • In all walks of life, steadiness is the one of the finest quality a leader can have.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near province

Cite this Entry

“Province.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/province. Accessed 14 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on province

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