noun
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the act of provoking or inciting
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something that causes indignation, anger, etc
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English criminal law words or conduct that incite a person to attack another
Other Word Forms
- nonprovocation noun
- overprovocation noun
- preprovocation noun
- provocational adjective
Etymology
Origin of provocation
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin prōvocātiōn- (stem of prōvocātiō ) a calling forth, equivalent to prōvocāt ( us ) (past participle of prōvocāre to provoke; -ate 1 ) + -iōn- -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others speculated that, due to Fennell’s penchant for audience provocation, the quotation marks were an Easter egg indicating that her take on Brontë’s novel would be far from your great-great-grandmother’s “Wuthering Heights.”
From Salon
This is a movement that thrives on provocation but panics when that very provocation carries consequences.
From Salon
Lee has vowed to mend ties with North Korea by stamping out provocations, and has even suggested a rare apology may be warranted.
From Barron's
Miller developed his taste for controversy and provocation at a relatively early age.
From BBC
Themes kick up that you couldn’t have guessed from the first act: provocations about class and caste, continent-spanning capitalism and surveillance states.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
