Meaning & use
unprovoked
Not caused by any action, threat, or insult from the person affected.
See it in a sentence
Witnesses said the dog's attack was completely unprovoked, as no one had approached it.
The report described the assault as unprovoked, since the victim had not spoken to anyone.
A note on using this word
Unprovoked is common in legal and news contexts to stress that no prior action justified an attack or reaction.
Words with a similar meaning
unwarrantedunjustified
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
provokedjustified
Make it your own
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