as in exciting
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
a provocative editorial that sparked a heated discussion
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of provocative
But Bugonia’s provocative premise doesn’t yield a sci-fi thriller.
—
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
The clown has a provocative past.
—Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Hailey Bieber embraced provocative styling in a Saint Laurent strapless leather dress for the WSJ.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
That’s a provocative statement.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocative
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
The clown has a provocative past.
—Time, 30 Oct. 2025
Hailey Bieber embraced provocative styling in a Saint Laurent strapless leather dress for the WSJ.
—Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2025
That’s a provocative statement.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocative
Adjective
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Shirley Valentine serves as an escape for those who envision a life more exciting, a fact to which Collins attributed its success.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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Surveying the broader landscape of AI benchmarks, Mahdi said researchers and developers have many exciting avenues to explore.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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What Happens Next Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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For context, geomagnetic storms are caused by fiery eruptions from the sun's surface that send charged particles zipping toward our planet.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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The 2024 three-part docuseries American Nightmare dives headfirst into several thought-provoking issues, like victim blaming and the glaring inadequacies in the criminal justice system.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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The fish-out-of-water comedy costarred Sam Shepard and reminded audiences of Keaton’s deft skills at leading a movie that mixed the funny with the dramatic and thought-provoking.—
Dan Heching,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The motivational speaker Tony Robbins paced with possessed energy around a stage erected on the floor of Miami’s Kaseya Center.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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And those motivational words, which Rice shared with us, came on a day, mind you, when Kelce had 99 receiving yards, his most in a regular season game in nearly a year.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Although the brain itself has no pain receptors, Bacon was given local anesthetic to numb her scalp and skull, as doctors made holes half the size of a small coin in her skull and implanted the stimulating electrodes inside.—
Elmira Aliieva,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
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However, matcha’s high levels of L-theanine, a calming amino acid, help balance caffeine’s stimulating effects.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Fans of her comedy applauded Glaser for not being afraid of going to some dark places, as others objected to the edgy material.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
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Barely a month into the official start of the second season at the end of the bench for the Charlotte Hornets, Charles Lee isn’t the least bit edgy.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provocative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocative. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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