providential

American  

[prov-i-den-shuhl] / ˌprɒv ɪˈdɛn ʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resulting from divine providence.

   providential care.

2. opportune, fortunate, or lucky.

   a providential event.

   Synonyms:

   happy

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providential British  

/ ˌprɒvɪˈdɛnʃəl /

adjective

1. relating to, characteristic of, or presumed to proceed from or as if from divine providence

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Other Word Forms

• nonprovidential adjective
• nonprovidentially adverb
• providentially adverb
• unprovidential adjective
• unprovidentially adverb

Etymology

Origin of providential

1640–50; < Latin prōvidenti ( a ) providence + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Efraín, meanwhile, welcomes her as a sort of providential poet of the underclass, and wants her to read at the opening of a poetry festival.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

“Over the last few days, many people have said it was a providential moment.”

From BBC • Jul. 19, 2024

Everything else, he seemed to suggest, will follow, almost automatically, from that providential arrival.

From Slate • Jul. 19, 2024

The show had perhaps been conceived “in a completely different setting, with a different message,” she said, according to a news release, but it was “all the more providential to open this exhibition today.”

From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2023

Although she was not particularly religious, the mother liked to make her plots providential.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez