PROVOCATIVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does provocative mean? 

• PROVOCATIVE (adjective)
  The adjective PROVOCATIVE has 2 senses:

1. serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controversy

2. intentionally arousing sexual desire

  Familiarity information: PROVOCATIVE used as an adjective is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROVOCATIVE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controversy

Context example:

provocative Irish tunes which...compel the hearers to dance

Similar:

agitating; agitative; provoking (causing or tending to cause anger or resentment)

challenging; intriguing (disturbingly provocative)

charged (capable of producing violent emotion or arousing controversy)

incendiary; incitive; inflammatory; instigative; rabble-rousing; seditious (arousing to action or rebellion)

rousing (rousing to activity or heightened action as by spurring or goading)

Also:

exciting (creating or arousing excitement)

Antonym:

unprovocative (not provocative)

Derivation:

provoke (provide the needed stimulus for)

provoke (call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses))

provoke (annoy continually or chronically)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Intentionally arousing sexual desire

Context example:

her gestures and postures became more wanton and provocative

Similar:

sexy (marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest)

 Context examples 

But now it was not provocative of a second thought.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

It must be admitted that Challenger is provocative in the last degree, but Summerlee has an acid tongue, which makes matters worse.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The shape of MU69 is truly provocative, and could mean another first for New Horizons going to a binary object in the Kuiper Belt.

(New Horizons' Next Target Just Got a Lot More Interesting, NASA)

I was at first at a great loss for salt, but custom soon reconciled me to the want of it; and I am confident that the frequent use of salt among us is an effect of luxury, and was first introduced only as a provocative to drink, except where it is necessary for preserving flesh in long voyages, or in places remote from great markets; for we observe no animal to be fond of it but man, and as to myself, when I left this country, it was a great while before I could endure the taste of it in anything that I ate.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

At the same time it is couched in so unfortunate a manner, and certain phrases in it are of so provocative a character, that its publication would undoubtedly lead to a most dangerous state of feeling in this country.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)