invoked

American  

[in-vohkt] / ɪnˈvoʊkt /

adjective

1. (of a deity, saint, Muse, etc.) petitioned, prayed to, or called upon for help or aid.

   On all four sides of the obelisk there are inscriptions associating the invoked deities with the cardinal points of the compass.

2. prayed or asked for with earnest desire.

   Many drivers who have miraculously escaped from car accidents credit the invoked protection of St. Christopher.

3. declared to be in effect.

   While overseas he was detained by local police for allegedly misstating his company's registered assets—a rarely invoked charge.

4. appealed to or mentioned, as for confirmation or justification.

   This logic of caution is most recognizable in the often invoked slogan that “risk management is good business.”

5. (of a spirit) called forth or summoned by incantation.

   The initiation ritual is a one-to-one encounter with an initiator, who acts as agent for the invoked powers in the spirit world.

6. Computers. displayed, opened, or executed as a result of clicking on a link, entering a search term, changing a parameter, etc..

   If you click on the Back arrow, the invoked view will replace the current view in the navigation history.

7. caused or brought about by a certain thing or in a certain way (often used in combination).

   The report ignored the millions of refugees fleeing the recent military-invoked escalation of violence in the region.

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verb

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

Other Word Forms

• uninvoked adjective

Etymology

Origin of invoked

First recorded in 1795–1805; invoke ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; invoke ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

In a deposition, DeMarco said that Drylie invoked his right not to incriminate himself.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Others invoked memes of Penn Jillette, the comedian known for his docuseries, “Bullshit!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Speaking at a keynote panel to promote his upcoming sci-fi film "Disclosure Day," the 79-year-old director drew cheers when he invoked the performing arts forms that Chalamet seemed to dismiss in a recent appearance.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

"It is the first time General Relativity has been invoked to describe the mechanics of a supernova."

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

Impossible because only one coven of the eight who’d invoked the clause in the history of the Twelve Towns had solved it.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Related Words

• imposed
• prescribed
• required
• sanctioned