Meaning & use
provocations
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“provocations” is a form of “provocation”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
actions or remarks that deliberately make someone angry or cause them to react.
Grammar: Use the plural for individual acts: 'several provocations'; the singular 'a provocation' is one such act.
Patterns
- provocations from someone
- respond to provocations
- ignore provocations
- a series of provocations
The crowd stayed calm despite repeated provocations from the other side.
He ignored their provocations and walked away without a word.
The report listed several provocations that led to the fight.
nouncountableformal
actions by one country or group that are meant to make another angry or force a response.
Grammar: Often used in news and politics: 'military provocations', 'border provocations'.
Patterns
- military provocations
- border provocations
- a series of provocations
The two nations accused each other of military provocations near the border.
Diplomats urged both sides to stop provocations and return to talks.
These provocations could easily lead to a wider conflict.
Word forms
| singular | provocation |
|---|
Common combinations
- respond to provocations
- The soldiers were ordered not to respond to provocations.
- ignore provocations
- She learned to ignore provocations from her classmates.
- military provocations
- Military provocations increased along the disputed border.
- a series of provocations
- A series of provocations finally led to an open argument.
Synonyms and how they differ
- goading
- 'Goading' stresses pushing someone on purpose; 'provocations' can also be unintentional or political acts.
- insults
- 'Insults' are rude remarks; 'provocations' is wider and includes actions meant to cause a reaction.
- incitement
- 'Incitement' is formal and suggests urging people to violence or crime, while 'provocations' need not be criminal.
Opposites
Word family
- provoke verb
- to make someone angry or cause a reaction.
- provocative adjective
- likely to cause anger, thought, or a strong reaction.
- provocatively adverb
- in a way that is meant to cause a reaction.
- provocateur noun
- a person who deliberately causes trouble or strong reactions.
Commonly confused: provocations or provocation?
provocations vs provocation
'Provocation' is the singular and can be uncountable ('without provocation'); 'provocations' counts individual acts.
Practice
Choose the best completion: The referee warned both players to stop their ___.
Choose one answer.
'Provocations' is the plural countable noun that fits 'their' and refers to repeated acts. 'Provocation' is singular and would need 'their provocation', 'provoke' is a verb, and 'provocative' is an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “provocations”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.