provoking

American

[pruh-voh-king] / prəˈvoʊ kɪŋ /

adjective

serving to provoke; causing annoyance.

Other Word Forms

provokingly adverb
unprovoking adjective
unprovokingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of provoking

First recorded in 1520–30; provoke + -ing ²

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.

For one group of moms, the threatened Los Angeles Unified School District strike that would shutter campuses next week is provoking outright fear.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The study, "Creative problem-solving after experimentally provoking dreams of unsolved puzzles during REM sleep" was published in the journal Neuroscience of Consciousness on Feb. 5.

From Science Daily • Feb. 15, 2026

Around the world, the plinks and pops of pickleball have spawned outrage, provoking protests and even lawsuits.

From Barron's • Dec. 28, 2025

The Egyptian did not disguise his belief he had been made a scapegoat, provoking divisive debate when Slot and Liverpool needed unity and calm – but was his claim justified?

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

“Enough to make me want to learn about this place,” he said, hoping to avoid provoking the temper he’d seen flare in this guy the day before.

From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023