as in exciting
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
a provocative editorial that sparked a heated discussion
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of provocative
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the far-right National Front party who tapped into working class concerns over immigration and globalization and built a career on provocative rhetoric that many saw as racist and xenophobic, has died aged 96.
—
Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
The object is emblematic of the playful but provocative work of the Canadian designer, who died in 2010 at 35.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
Watch on Deadline The elder Le Pen was known for his brash, charismatic speeches and provocative and incendiary opinions on immigration, the European Union, culture and traditionalism, and religion, especially around faiths such as Islam and Judaism.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
However, as Trump’s presidency looms with threats of a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports, mass deportations of undocumented immigrants from the U.S., and even a provocative suggestion that Canada merge with the United States, Trudeau’s immigration legacy faces new challenges and scrutiny.
—Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for provocative 
Fox News, 7 Jan. 2025
The object is emblematic of the playful but provocative work of the Canadian designer, who died in 2010 at 35.
—Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024
Watch on Deadline The elder Le Pen was known for his brash, charismatic speeches and provocative and incendiary opinions on immigration, the European Union, culture and traditionalism, and religion, especially around faiths such as Islam and Judaism.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
However, as Trump’s presidency looms with threats of a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports, mass deportations of undocumented immigrants from the U.S., and even a provocative suggestion that Canada merge with the United States, Trudeau’s immigration legacy faces new challenges and scrutiny.
—Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for provocative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocative
Adjective
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Moreover, with Uranus stationing direct — in your committed seventh house of relationships and commitments — there could be exciting new developments or unexpected shifts in your approach to others or within the foundation of a close relationship.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
19 Jan. 2025
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Those wins, along with the Kiwi's fun-loving personality and exciting fighting style, make his fights must-see TV.—
Simon Head,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The ceremony came at a charged moment, coinciding with Columbia University canceling its graduation ceremony (and largely closing off its campus).—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2024
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Of course, genocide is a charged and redolent term, recalling the systematic precision of the Holocaust and the society-wide butchery of the Rwandan genocide.—
Kristina Hook,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2022
Adjective
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Venture Colonialism There is arguably no single scholar more well versed, incisive, and thought provoking than Stern in analyzing the evolution of joint-stock corporations in the British Empire.—
Caroline Elkins,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Aug. 2023
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Her work is technically amazing, thought provoking and has tons of heart.—
Heide Janssen,
Orange County Register,
17 Mar. 2024
Adjective
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Caffeine and Adderall produce similar stimulating effects on the body.—
Mary Choy,
Verywell Health,
7 Jan. 2025
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These activities are visually stimulating but don’t require much mental effort.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Celebrities have proven that the pierced look can range from edgy to elegant.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
18 Jan. 2025
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The film placed third in North America with $11 million, followed by $6.8 million for Focus Features’ edgy vampire pic Nosferatu, which now sports a domestic total of $81.8 million and $53.9 million internationally for a global cume of $135.8 million.—
Pamela McClintock,
The Hollywood Reporter,
12 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Provocative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocative. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
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