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 said there are numerous unprovoked attacks daily in the city, but TikTok has just become a platform for dissemination.
—
Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2024
While historically not known to kill humans, a recent spike in attacks – particularly off the coast of New York – means 13 of the 36 unprovoked attacks by sand tigers have occurred over the last two years.
—Kyle Schmidbauer, Fox News, 26 Mar. 2024
Shortly before the mayor announced the shooting death of Police Officer Jonathan Diller from a hospital in Queens, the police confirmed that a man had been fatally pushed into the path of a subway train in an unprovoked attack in Manhattan.
—Dana Rubinstein, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
In 2023, the hottest year on record, the number of unprovoked shark attacks remained level, and researchers warned that, as temperatures rise, humans should prepare for more diarrhea.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
And just hours after Hochul’s announcement, another conductor was smashed in the head with a glass bottle in another unprovoked attack.
—Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Saturday marked the two-year anniversary of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is a travesty that has cost unnecessary lives.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024
Florida is the top U.S. state with the most unprovoked bites, with 16 cases.
—Pilar Arias, Fox News, 6 Feb. 2024
Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2024
While historically not known to kill humans, a recent spike in attacks – particularly off the coast of New York – means 13 of the 36 unprovoked attacks by sand tigers have occurred over the last two years.
—Kyle Schmidbauer, Fox News, 26 Mar. 2024
Shortly before the mayor announced the shooting death of Police Officer Jonathan Diller from a hospital in Queens, the police confirmed that a man had been fatally pushed into the path of a subway train in an unprovoked attack in Manhattan.
—Dana Rubinstein, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
In 2023, the hottest year on record, the number of unprovoked shark attacks remained level, and researchers warned that, as temperatures rise, humans should prepare for more diarrhea.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
And just hours after Hochul’s announcement, another conductor was smashed in the head with a glass bottle in another unprovoked attack.
—Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024
Saturday marked the two-year anniversary of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
—Peter Suciu, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is a travesty that has cost unnecessary lives.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024
Florida is the top U.S. state with the most unprovoked bites, with 16 cases.
—Pilar Arias, Fox News, 6 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unprovoked.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Unprovoked.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unprovoked. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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