provincialism

 
Pronunciation: /prəˈvɪnʃ(ə)lɪz(ə)m/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1the way of life characteristic of the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded: book-loving Belle was burning to escape the provincialism of her village
  • narrow-mindedness, insularity, or lack of sophistication: the myopic provincialism of women’s studies
  • 2concern for one’s own area or region at the expense of national or supranational unity: the President warned that focusing on relations with close neighbours would lead to political provincialism
  • 3 [count noun] a word or phrase peculiar to a local area: if an idiom is a provincialism, it is likely to be found in a dialect dictionary
  • 4 Ecology the degree to which plant or animal communities are restricted to particular areas: the lack of provincialism in Silurian fauna

Derivatives

provincialist

noun & adjective