Meaning & use

provoking

verb·Everyday

Last updated

Causing someone to become angry or to react, or stimulating a response.

See it in a sentence

His comments were clearly meant to provoke a reaction from the audience.

The new evidence is provoking fresh debate among historians.

A note on using this word

From Latin 'provocare,' 'to call forth'; it can describe deliberately inciting anger or simply prompting thought or discussion.

Words with a similar meaning

incitingtriggeringinstigating

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

calmingsoothing

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