Synonyms for provoke
prəˈvoʊkpro·voke

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. provokeverb

   to bring about a reaction.

   Synonyms:
   rouse, inflame, stir up, evoke, invoke, whip up, bring about, incite, grill, induce, discompose, instigate, set off, egg on, engender

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. provoke

   One may be annoyed by the well-meaning awkwardness of a servant, irritated by a tight shoe or a thoughtless remark, vexed at some careless neglect or needless misfortune, wounded by the ingratitude of child or friend. To tease is to give some slight and perhaps playful annoyance. Aggravate in the sense of offend is colloquial. To provoke, literally to call out or challenge, is to begin a contest; one provokes another to violence. To affront is to offer some defiant offense or indignity, as it were, to one's face; it is somewhat less than to insult. Compare PIQUE.

   Synonyms:
   affront, aggravate, annoy, displease, exasperate, insult, irritate, offend, tease, vex, wound

   Antonyms:
   conciliate, content, gratify, honor, please

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. provoke

   Synonyms:
   educe, summon, rouse, irritate, excite, challenge, vex, impel, offend, exasperate, anger, tantalize

   Antonyms:
   allay, relegate, pacify, soothe, conciliate

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. arouse, elicit, enkindle, kindle, evoke, fire, raise, provokeverb

   call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

   "arouse pity"; "raise a smile"; "evoke sympathy"

   Synonyms:
   elevate, resurrect, force out, beset, send away, awake, levy, call forth, chivy, kick upstairs, give the sack, suggest, stimulate, lift, heighten, harry, upgrade, educe, dismiss, kick up, fire, leaven, chivvy, bring up, rouse, invoke, raise, wind up, recruit, inflame, chevvy, farm, extract, excite, grow, conjure, upraise, give the axe, prove, awaken, chevy, conjure up, conflagrate, molest, go off, displace, plague, wake, waken, turn on, enhance, give notice, terminate, fuel, arouse, wake up, can, sack, advance, perk up, stir, burn, burn down, put forward, sex, enkindle, evoke, rear, harass, draw out, set up, elicit, nurture, parent, energize, produce, erect, discharge, kindle, put up, promote, hassle, open fire, brace, energise, paint a picture, get up, call down, come alive

2. provoke, evoke, call forth, kick upverb

   evoke or provoke to appear or occur

   "Her behavior provoked a quarrel between the couple"

   Synonyms:
   conjure, molest, extract, harry, suggest, kick up, beset, conjure up, hassle, bring up, chevy, chivy, invoke, paint a picture, stir, put forward, call down, harass, enkindle, arouse, call forth, evoke, kindle, educe, draw out, elicit, chevvy, chivvy, stimulate, plague, fire, raise

3. provoke, stimulateverb

   provide the needed stimulus for

   Synonyms:
   beset, kindle, excite, shake up, get, shake, chevvy, energize, perk up, harass, enkindle, hasten, stir, elicit, energise, chivy, make, fire, arouse, call forth, plague, cause, kick up, induce, raise, stimulate, have, harry, chivvy, brace, evoke, molest, chevy, rush, hassle

4. harass, hassle, harry, chivy, chivvy, chevy, chevvy, beset, plague, molest, provokeverb

   annoy continually or chronically

   "He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked"; "This man harasses his female co-workers"

   Synonyms:
   stimulate, harry, kick up, beset, hassle, set upon, chevy, chivy, kindle, harass, arouse, enkindle, evoke, call forth, molest, elicit, incrust, encrust, chivvy, ravage, chevvy, plague, blight, fire, raise

Matched Categories

1. • Challenge

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. provokeverb

   Synonyms:
   excite, stimulate, arouse, awaken, incite, move, kindle, inflame, animate, instigate, impel, stir up, work up

2. provokeverb

   Synonyms:
   exasperate, incense, enrage, chafe, anger, irritate, exacerbate, nettle, offend, affront, infuriate, give offence or umbrage to, put out, put out of humor, work into a passion, lash into fury, raise one's ire, raise one's dander, make one's blood boil, drive one mad

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. provokeverb

   Synonyms:
   incite, stimulate, instigate, rouse, exasperate, displease, aggravate, offend

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "provoke":

   cause, trigger, induce, arouse, raise, incite

How to pronounce provoke?

How to say provoke in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use provoke in a sentence?

1. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh:

   By kidnapping passengers, The Taliban are trying to provoke people against the government, showing that it can't provide security.

2. Stephen Schwartz:

   I'm not aware that such an assessment has ever been done before, a violent domestic insurrection was almost certainly not part of the DOD and Secret Service threat matrix until six months ago, and it's the only recent known event putting the' football' in significant potential danger to provoke this level of concern.

3. Anne Marie Schieber:

   John Gibbs made the site to provoke the left on campus and to draw attention to the hypocrisy of some modern-day feminists. It was nothing more than a college kid being over the top, of course, John Gibbs does not believe that women shouldn't vote or shouldn't work, and John Gibbs mother worked for thirty-three years for the Michigan Department of Transportation !

4. Greg Austin:

   Just interfere with a process that creates a physical effect of some sort that then has a destructive effect on the operation of the missile, you're aware that the leader of North Korea again recklessly tried to provoke something by launching a missile.

5. Korean Central News Agency:

   (Kim) said everyone should remember that it is the (ruling) partys core plan and unwavering determination to build a powerful force strong enough to discourage any forces from daring to provoke us and to leave any opponent defenseless against our Juche weapons of absolute power even in situations of physical clashes.