Meaning & use
provocation
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
Something said or done that is meant to make someone angry or cause a strong reaction.
Grammar: Uncountable in general: without provocation; countable for a specific act: a deliberate provocation.
Patterns
- without provocation
- in response to a provocation
The dog attacked without any provocation.
Calling him names was a deliberate provocation.
He refused to rise to the provocation and walked away.
noununcountablelegal
In law, behavior by one person that makes another lose self-control and act violently.
Grammar: Often used with under or on the grounds of.
Patterns
- under provocation
- a plea of provocation
The defendant claimed he acted under provocation.
The jury considered whether there was sufficient provocation.
Her lawyer argued that months of threats amounted to provocation.
Word forms
| plural | provocations |
|---|
Common combinations
- without provocation
- The crowd turned violent without provocation.
- under provocation
- Even under provocation, she stayed calm.
- a deliberate provocation
- The speech was seen as a deliberate provocation.
- react to provocation
- Troops were told not to react to provocation.
- minor provocation
- He loses his temper at the slightest provocation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- incitement
- Incitement is urging people to do something harmful, usually violence, while provocation just aims to stir a reaction.
- taunt
- A taunt is a mocking remark, which is one kind of provocation.
- goading
- Goading is repeated pushing to get a response, whereas a provocation can be a single act.
- affront
- An affront is an insult that offends, but it does not always aim to make someone act.
Opposites
Word family
- provoke verb
- to cause a reaction, especially anger
- provocative adjective
- likely to cause a strong reaction
- provocatively adverb
- in a way meant to cause a reaction
- unprovoked adjective
- happening without any cause
Commonly confused: provocation or invocation? provocation or provision?
provocation vs invocation
An invocation is a call for help from a god or spirit; it only looks similar.
provocation vs provision
A provision is a supply or a rule; it has nothing to do with causing anger.
Practice
The police said the attack was ___, with no earlier threat from the victim.
Choose one answer.
Without provocation is the usual phrase meaning with no reason to cause the reaction. The other prepositions do not form a natural phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “provocation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.