as in zest
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocativeness
Noun
-
Raimi indulges Send Help’s gore and gross-out moments with the zest of someone returning to his cult-favorite roots.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026 -
Citrus fruit zest is often used in baking, and a lemon twist—expressed over the glass for aroma and flavor—is a classic martini garnish.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The man whom Navarro likes to call the Boss seems to value insincere, or bought, obeisance—the flapping and fussing of a maître d’—more than heartfelt fandom, which lacks the piquancy of humiliation.—
Ian Parker,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
-
And a jicama salad is my personal favorite, balancing heat in piquancy and chill in temperature.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
So before jumping into any sort of physical stimulation, focus on mental arousal and set the scene.—
Zahra Thompson,
SELF,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Through this stimulation of the healing processes in soft tissues and bones by acoustic waves, the healing process can be made faster and less painful for patients.—
William Jones,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The hard edges and pungency of a relatively cheap, unaged spirit were far less visible in the Viriato samples.—
Christopher Null,
Wired News,
11 Nov. 2025
-
This historic two-game parlay of pungency followed up a classic, a double-overtime loss to Oregon, back when Franklin’s inability to beat high-ranking opponents was his biggest problem.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The heat and zing of chiles offset the salty elements of puttanesca, backed up with lots of fresh lemon juice.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Jan. 2026
-
What natural wine has changed First of all, natural wine has helped reawaken and shift demand to lighter, fresher wines with more purity, zing, energy and personality as opposed to the once-popular oaky and powerful alcoholic ones.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Much of the excitement is unfolding along the Nile.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
You’re attracted to someone who feels like peace and excitement all at once.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This suggests the presence of an internal, self-evolving latent variable—independent of external stimuli—that shapes the timing structure of motivation and decision-making.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Feland adds that the additional gravitational load gives an extra stimulus for the bone to build more tissue in people who don’t get that through weight-bearing exercise or resistance training.—
Jennifer Heimlich,
Time,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There was a certain thrill to being so close to the action.—
Jasper Craven,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
If thrills are more your thing, Santa Clara is home to California’s Great America, where families and adventure seekers can enjoy more than 40 rides and attractions.—
Michele Herrmann,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Provocativeness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocativeness. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
