provoked

American  

[pruh-vohkt] / prəˈvoʊkt /

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

Etymology

Origin of provoked

provoke ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

In his blog "The Provoked Pedagogue", Mr Price wrote about life working at the high school in Denbigh, north Wales.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2021

Provoked by my question, the old woman’s daughter — the girl’s mother — approached me and sized me up.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2019

Provoked by her guilty look, I slowly pursued her around the room, joined her in a three-way conversation, and politely awaited my moment.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 8, 2019

Provoked by continued resistance, Polk decided that his instructions had been too generous and recalled Trist before he reached an agreement.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Provoked, Galileo embarked on a series of experiments to study floating bodies.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• incensed