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. Ben Nimmo:

   This operation was trying to provoke divisions between Western countries, it faked everything, from the documents it based its stories on, up to the accounts that boosted them.

2. Bibek Debroy:

   I am going to provoke my hosts, but I am greatly disturbed by what is happening on the SDGs. Eight goals, 21 targets, I can understand. But 17 goals, 169 targets? We'll go nuts. Imagine the plight of the countries which will now have to collect data for these, if collecting that data at all is possible.

3. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve:

   Ninety percent of those who commit terrorist acts fall into it after regularly consulting websites or blogs that call for or provoke terrorism.

4. Wednesday Zonszein:

   Over the years it (itikaf) became yet another tool in conflict, israel started to restrict it when it found it to be a way for Palestinians to provoke friction with Jewish Israelis.

5. New York:

   I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office, we have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We have seen his lack of commitment and dedication to the Constitution, and I think it's very important that we make sure whomever we elect is somebody who will be faithful to the Constitution.