provoke
- Verb:
- To cause a strong reaction, especially anger or annoyance: To deliberately make someone feel an intense emotion, typically a negative one.
- To stimulate or give rise to a particular action, feeling, or event: To be the direct cause of something happening or being felt.
- To incite someone to do something, often something forceful or violent: To stir someone to action through deliberate stimulation.
To cause anger or annoyance:
- His rude comments were meant to provoke her.
- Do not provoke the dog; it might bite.
To stimulate an action or feeling:
- The article provoked a fierce debate about climate policy.
- The tragic story provoked widespread sympathy.
To incite to action:
- The speech provoked the crowd to riot.
- The unfair treatment provoked him into filing a formal complaint.
"to provoke a response": to cause someone to react or answer.
- The politician's statement was designed to provoke a response from his opponents.
"to provoke thought": to stimulate deep thinking or consideration.
- A good book should provoke thought and discussion.
"to provoke controversy": to cause public disagreement or argument.
- The artist's new work is sure to provoke controversy.
Provocation (n): An action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately.
- He reacted violently to the provocation.
Provocative (adj): Causing anger, annoyance, or another strong reaction, especially deliberately; intended to arouse sexual desire or interest.
- She wore a provocative dress to the party.
- The journalist asked a provocative question.
Provoker (n): A person who provokes.
- Incite: To encourage or stir up (violent or unlawful behavior).
- Elicit: To draw out a response, answer, or fact from someone.
- Instigate: To bring about or initiate (an action or event).
- Stimulate: To encourage or arouse interest or enthusiasm.
- Irritate: To make someone annoyed, impatient, or angry.
- Pacify: To quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of.
- Soothe: To gently calm (a person or their feelings).
- Deter: To discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.
Provoke into (doing something): To cause someone to do something by making them angry or upset.
- She was provoked into shouting at him.
Provoke to (an action/state): To incite someone to a specific action or emotional state.
- The injustice provoked the community to action.
"to rise to the provocation": To react angrily when someone is trying to make you angry.
- He was trying to annoy her, but she refused to rise to the provocation.
"under provocation": While being deliberately annoyed or challenged.
- He only said those things under severe provocation.
- annoy continually or chronically
- He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked
- This man harasses his female co-workers
- provide the needed stimulus for
- evoke or provoke to appear or occur
- Her behavior provoked a quarrel between the couple
- call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
- arouse pity
- raise a smile
- evoke sympathy