provoked 1 of 2

adjective

as in aggravated

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provoked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of provoke
1
as in encouraged
to rouse to strong feeling or action his teasing finally provoked her to anger bees generally will not sting unless they are provoked

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in triggered
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being rankings that are sure to provoke an argument among film buffs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of provoked
Verb
That provoked a campaign of US strikes early in 2025, which degraded their capabilities. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 26 July 2026 Speculation continues to swirl around Fernandez’s future, provoked further by Fernandez now being a villain in the eyes of many English soccer fans. — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 He was also sent off for a headbutt against an opponent who provoked him in his last ever match, which happened to be the 2006 World Cup final; his human reaction laid bare on the highest stage of all. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 July 2026 Broadnose sevengill sharks are considered aggressive when provoked and are classified as dangerous in both Australia and New Zealand, per the Institute. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 Fear provoked his legendary rages—breaking chairs, throwing things, cutting people out of his life. — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 Simeone is the son of former Argentine great and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, who provoked David Beckham’s red card during the 1998 World Cup Round of 16. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026 Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Jason Melara, Taylor and Johnson not only with his murder, but also the killing of Mario Melara under the theory that his death was provoked by the armed robbery of Aguilar. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 Those long evenings provoked tears of laughter, sometimes sorrow, and occasionally both in the course of a meal. — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 11 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provoked
  1. aggravated
  2. encouraged
  3. triggered
  4. frustrated
  5. stimulated
  6. raised
  7. tortured
  8. stirred
Adjective
  • State prison records show Milton has previously done years behind bars for burglary, retail theft, drug possession, armed robbery and aggravated battery, among other convictions, stretching back to the late 1990s.
    — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
  • Parsons was also previously convicted of burglary and aggravated battery.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026
Definition of aggravated
Verb
  • Browning and Eveland developed the educational curriculum that would provide both an understanding and hands-on experience in a friendly environment where questions are encouraged.
    — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026
  • Things slowly improved as drummers were encouraged at Arrowhead, but even a big turnout of 20,000 fans looked tiny in a stadium that could seat four times that number.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • However, amongst all of these cases, there are some that were seemingly triggered remotely, and this leads Batou and Togusa on the trail of a shady robotics manufacturer, with a corrupt and entirely cybernetic boss.
    — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The Iran war triggered a historic oil shortage that drove up fuel costs and catapulted inflation to a three-year high.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of triggered
Adjective
  • The first baseman, stepping in front of a small group of reporters Saturday in Boston, was asked for his message to frustrated fans.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Crow-Armstrong was visibly frustrated taking strike 3 with runners on the corners.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • Beijing's pullback of NEV subsidies, which had previously stimulated consumer appetite, has tempered demand for cars in 2026.
    — Matthew Tan,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 20 July 2026
  • Many major tech companies engineered environments designed to keep smart people in the building longer—fed, caffeinated and stimulated enough to move at a pace that older, slower companies couldn't match.
    — Vince Carrabba, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of stimulated
Verb
  • On Friday, Caine specifically raised concerns about the US munitions stockpile and other potential negative implications, according to the sources.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 26 July 2026
  • He was born in Kansas City and raised in the small city of Emma, Missouri, located along Interstate 70, according to his profile on Ballotpedia.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
Definition of raised
Adjective
  • Natalie Portman famously saw a twisted version of herself in mirrors as part of her Oscar-winning performance as a tortured ballerina in Black Swan.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 July 2026
  • Rewatching it now, the series feels almost artisanal in its toughness, a time capsule from an era when TV detectives didn’t need tortured backstories or prestige-drama monologues to command the screen.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • People enjoy them in countless ways, including being folded into shortcake, mixed into fruit salad, dipped in chocolate, piled on pancakes, stirred into yogurt, blended into smoothies or simply eaten by the handful as a refreshing snack.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 26 July 2026
  • The chance of rescuing the legend whose equipment provides around a quarter of the world’s electricity and whose engines power about three-quarters of commercial flights worldwide clearly stirred the ultra-competitive Culp to action.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 July 2026
Definition of stirred

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Cite this Entry

“Provoked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provoked. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of provoked for Spanish Speakers

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