1
as in excitements
something that arouses a strong response from another
a patient man who gets angry only from the greatest of provocations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity
ready to retaliate at the slightest provocation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of provocations
In a statement issued Wednesday, Merz said the incursion fits a broader pattern of provocations along NATO's eastern flank and in the Baltic Sea region.
—
Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Worrying less about Taiwan, Beijing increasingly viewed North Korea’s nuclear provocations as a threat to China’s security interests rather than as an insurance policy against Taiwan’s independence.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
Gray’s ski‑scapes are quiet provocations, whispering of belonging and insisting on visibility.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 11 Aug. 2025
Their fellow students are outraged by Clyde’s phony, hokey provocations against Jewish people and women, leaving Cartman feeling left out.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The group declared that Damascus bears complete responsibility for the attack and reaffirmed its right to respond to such provocations.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Worrying less about Taiwan, Beijing increasingly viewed North Korea’s nuclear provocations as a threat to China’s security interests rather than as an insurance policy against Taiwan’s independence.
—Shuxian Luo, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2025
Gray’s ski‑scapes are quiet provocations, whispering of belonging and insisting on visibility.
—Skylar Mitchell, Essence, 11 Aug. 2025
Their fellow students are outraged by Clyde’s phony, hokey provocations against Jewish people and women, leaving Cartman feeling left out.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025
The group declared that Damascus bears complete responsibility for the attack and reaffirmed its right to respond to such provocations.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocations
Noun
-
The projects received millions in state and local tax incentives after promising to create thousands of new jobs.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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The transparency requirements will improve safety across all frontier models, and without it, companies may face incentives to prioritize growth over safety and transparency, Anthropic added.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Ward and Curlee also started the app Counterbalance, which provides daily encouragements, recipes, community and more.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As Arrivia notes, loyalty programs that tailor offers to practical and emotional motivations will capture share not just in the short term, but across the customer lifecycle.—
Jeff Fromm,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Prieguez told the Herald that now his motivations have changed.—
Joey Flechas,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provocations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocations. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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