unprovoked
adjective
un·pro·voked
ˌən-prə-ˈvōkt 
: 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
Police in North Carolina have released multiple 911 calls made after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on the Charlotte light rail, in which witnesses expressed shock at the unprovoked attack.
—
Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Across much of Europe, however, the conflict is viewed as an unprovoked war of aggression that not only marked the deadliest conflict on the continent since World War II, but also the end of complacency on security.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Kyiv alone has experienced more than 1,800 air alerts, lasting more than 2,200 hours in total, since Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
—Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Key Background Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed in an unprovoked attack on a commuter rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unprovoked
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Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2025
Across much of Europe, however, the conflict is viewed as an unprovoked war of aggression that not only marked the deadliest conflict on the continent since World War II, but also the end of complacency on security.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Kyiv alone has experienced more than 1,800 air alerts, lasting more than 2,200 hours in total, since Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
—Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Key Background Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was killed in an unprovoked attack on a commuter rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unprovoked
Cite this Entry
“Unprovoked.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unprovoked. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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