Meaning & use
being provoked
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
the state of being deliberately angered or annoyed by someone's words or actions.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase after verbs like react, or prepositions like after, without, or when.
Patterns
- being provoked by someone
- being provoked into doing something
- without being provoked
He apologized for shouting, saying he had been provoked by constant insults.
The dog is usually calm and only barks when it is being provoked.
She refused to answer, no matter how much she was being provoked.
phrasefixed phrasetechnical
the fact of being caused to happen or to react, especially in a biological or physical process.
Grammar: Used in technical descriptions of responses that are triggered by a stimulus.
Patterns
- being provoked by a stimulus
The immune response can be studied by observing cells being provoked by the virus.
In the experiment, the reaction was measured after being provoked with a mild electric current.
Common combinations
- provoke a reaction
- His comments provoked a strong reaction online.
- provoke anger
- The decision provoked anger among local residents.
- without provocation
- The attack happened without any provocation.
- provoke someone into doing something
- They provoked him into losing his temper.
Synonyms and how they differ
- irritated
- Describes a milder, more general feeling of annoyance; provoked suggests someone deliberately caused it.
- goaded
- Stronger and more informal; it stresses being pushed into action by teasing or urging.
Opposites
Word family
- provoke verb
- to deliberately make someone angry or cause a reaction.
- provocation noun
- an action or remark that deliberately makes someone angry.
- provocative adjective
- intended to cause anger, interest, or debate.
- provocatively adverb
- in a way that is intended to cause a reaction.
Commonly confused: being provoked or being evoked?
being provoked vs being evoked
Evoked means being brought to mind or called forth, as with a memory; provoked means being stirred into anger or action.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'being provoked' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Being provoked' needs no preposition here; the clause 'even though he was being provoked' is complete. The other options add prepositions that have no object or meaning in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being provoked”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.