provoked

[pruh-vohkt]

adjective

1. angered or enraged.

   The boys continued to test out the improved model until it was destroyed by a provoked weasel.

   For all the hype, the “riot” was actually quite mild—just a few empty beer cans and some stones thrown by an already provoked crowd.

2. stirred up or aroused.

   The longtime columnist says that it helps to have an easily provoked sense of indignation.

   To avoid being eaten, a provoked pufferfish blows itself up into a spiny living balloon the size of a volleyball.

3. prompted or caused by some action, behavior, or circumstance; brought about, often deliberately.

   His laugh was a contagious, easily provoked chuckle.

   A provoked bite can occur when a person teases a dog or tries to take away the dog's food while the dog is eating.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of provoke.

Other Word Forms

• unprovoked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of provoked¹

provoke ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Seizing church property and applying other religious changes later provoked defiance, and Louis’s flight to Varennes with his family in 1791 polarized France.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The strikes have provoked outcry throughout Latin America.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"The mention of the word Ireland immediately provoked a negative reaction," he said, adding that his hosts "can't do business with Ireland".

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The database provoked a furor within the LAPD, which led to the city unsuccessfully suing in an attempt to claw back the photos.

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In other words, he personified the scale of the issue and the depth and breadth of the anger provoked by it – and yet he was let out of prison by accident.

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Related Words

• incensed