as in aggravated
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
The shooter received 40 years to life, but the boy’s father now is suing his mother, alleging her aggressive driving provoked the fatal shooting.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Play Now That vision provoked a fierce backlash.
—Paola Ramos, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
But like any significant change to the category line-up, the news has provoked a backlash.
—Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 12 Jan. 2026
And the relationship between father and son has provoked no shortage of psychoanalysis.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Trump has provoked chaos and violence in our towns and cities as part of his sick political theater.
—Sophie Brams, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2026
Visit our website What is striking in retrospect is how little resistance Roosevelt’s framing provoked.
—Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
This, in turn, reinforced Webster’s own initial claim about his fight with the MPD cop—that Rathbun had provoked the encounter by striking him in the head, then lied about it to counter Webster’s righteous assertion of self-defense, resulting in his wrongful conviction.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
The case, which has shone a spotlight on chronic staff shortages and funding gaps in the country's medical system, has provoked anger and bewilderment from Russian politicians and online commentators.
—CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
The shooter received 40 years to life, but the boy’s father now is suing his mother, alleging her aggressive driving provoked the fatal shooting.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Play Now That vision provoked a fierce backlash.
—Paola Ramos, Time, 12 Jan. 2026
But like any significant change to the category line-up, the news has provoked a backlash.
—Irenie Forshaw, TheWeek, 12 Jan. 2026
And the relationship between father and son has provoked no shortage of psychoanalysis.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Trump has provoked chaos and violence in our towns and cities as part of his sick political theater.
—Sophie Brams, The Hill, 9 Jan. 2026
Visit our website What is striking in retrospect is how little resistance Roosevelt’s framing provoked.
—Philip Martin, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
This, in turn, reinforced Webster’s own initial claim about his fight with the MPD cop—that Rathbun had provoked the encounter by striking him in the head, then lied about it to counter Webster’s righteous assertion of self-defense, resulting in his wrongful conviction.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provoked
Adjective
-
Hernandez, Espina and Napoles are all charged with home invasion robbery with a firearm, kidnapping and aggravated battery, court records show.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Stroud was charged with home invasion and robbery and aggravated battery, the arrest report stated.—
December 5,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But Flint encouraged people to attend the commissioners’ court meeting and speak against the Comanche Circle proposal.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
-
All retailers are being encouraged to honor customer claims.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The torrential downpours on Thursday triggered both a flood advisory and flash flood warnings across the city and suburbs.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The agreement resolves an antitrust review by the attorney general’s office triggered by the state’s ‘notice of material change’ statute, according to Tong’s office.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Piper was also cast as Skye on the show Mani at age 10 but left after Tiffany allegedly grew frustrated that another actress received more lines than her daughter, according to the docuseries.—
Emily Krauser,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
That's described by people who were very frustrated with them in court transcripts, and that is also described in their text, but in a different way, as something joyful and wonderful.—
Mike Miller,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Many contests maintain that the frogs can be stimulated humanely to jump, such as someone blowing on them or clapping their hands behind them.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
26 Dec. 2025
-
They can also be stimulated by the absence of male toxicity.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Republicans, who hold a super-minority in the Legislature and have long raised concerns about taxes and regulations overburdening California businesses, will likely oppose any tax bills.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Funds raised during the 2025 Grammy Awards telecast, MusiCares’ Persons of the Year event and additional fundraising efforts were used to help deal with housing instability, interrupted income, physical health complications and ongoing trauma.—
David Wilson,
Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The idea that Wall Street is a potent force in inflating home prices, and must be stopped, has also stirred prominent voices in Congress.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Inside them, the researchers stirred fine dust particles to generate friction, just like real Martian dust storms and dust devils.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Loewenstein also disputed Ryvchin’s claim that pro-Palestinian marches in Australia, some of the largest of which have taken place in Sydney, had incited violence against the Jewish community.—
Katie Silver,
NBC news,
25 Dec. 2025
-
Was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provoked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provoked. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
