pro·voke
(prə-vōḱ)
[Middle English provoken, from Old French provoquer, from Latin prōvocāre, to challenge, prō-, forth; see pro–1, + vocāre, to call.]
transitive verb: -voked, -vok·ing, -vokes.
- To incite to anger or resentment.
- To stir to action or feeling.
- To give rise to; evoke: provoke laughter.
- To bring about deliberately; induce: provoke a fight.
synonyms:
provoke, incite, excite, stimulate, arouse, rouse, stir1 These verbs mean to move a person to action or feeling or to summon something into being by so moving a person. Provoke often merely states the consequences produced: “Let my presumption not provoke thy wrath” (Shakespeare) “A situation which in the country would have provoked meetings” (John Galsworthy) To incite is to provoke and urge on: Members of the opposition incited the insurrection. Excite implies a strong or emotional reaction: The movie will fail; the plot excites little interest or curiosity. Stimulate suggests renewed vigor of action as if by spurring or goading: “Our vigilance was stimulated by our finding traces of a large … encampment” (Francis Parkman) To arouse means to awaken, as from inactivity or apathy; rouse means the same, but more strongly implies vigorous or emotional excitement: “In a democratic society like ours, relief must come through an aroused popular conscience that sears the conscience of the people's representatives” (Felix Frankfurter) “The oceangoing steamers … roused in him wild and painful longings” (Arnold Bennett) To stir is to cause activity, strong but usually agreeable feelings, trouble, or commotion: “It was him as stirred up th' young woman to preach last night” (George Eliot) “I have seldom been so … stirred by any piece of writing” (Mark Twain)- See also: annoy
