unprovoked

adjective

un·​pro·​voked ˌən-prə-ˈvōkt How to pronounce unprovoked (audio)
: occurring without any identifiable cause or justification : not provoked
an unprovoked assault/attack
unprovoked anger

Examples of unprovoked in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Data indicates that 28 of the unprovoked attacks occurred in the United States, with Florida accounting for the country’s most unprovoked bites after 14 people reported incidents last year. Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025 Last year, 47 people were bitten in unprovoked attacks. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025 Wisconsin has a strict liability law, making owners automatically liable for damages caused by an unprovoked dog attack. Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025 On August 22, she was attacked while on a Charlotte light train in what police described as an unprovoked stabbing. Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unprovoked

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unprovoked was in 1534

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Cite this Entry

“Unprovoked.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unprovoked. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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