Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The act of provoking or inciting.
- n. Something that provokes.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of provoking or exciting anger or vexation.
- n. Anything that excites anger; a cause of anger or resentment.
- n. An appeal to a court or judge.
- n. Incitement; stimulus.
Wiktionary
- n. The act of provoking, inciting or annoying someone into doing something
- n. Something that provokes; a provocative act
- n. The second step in OPQRST regarding the investigation of what makes the symptoms MOI or NOI improve or deteriorate.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of provoking, or causing vexation or, anger.
- n. That which provokes, or excites anger; the cause of resentment.
- n. Incitement; stimulus.
- n. (Law) Such prior insult or injury as may be supposed, under the circumstances, to create hot blood, and to excuse an assault made in retort or redress.
- n. obsolete An appeal to a court. [A Latinism]
WordNet 3.0
- n. needed encouragement
- n. something that incites or provokes; a means of arousing or stirring to action
- n. unfriendly behavior that causes anger or resentment
Etymologies
- Middle English provocacioun, from Old French provocation, from Latin prōvocātiō, prōvocātiōn-, a challenging, from prōvocātus, past participle of prōvocāre, to challenge; see provoke. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Navy commander in the region says Iran's war games over the past year amount to what he termed provocation because they come right around the juggler of crucial oil shipping lanes.”
“The rise of this provocation is a hard and impenitent heart; and the ruin of sinners is their walking after such a heart, being led by it.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation)
“Acting Interior Minister Mikhail Mindzayev said no one was hurt by the gunfire, which he called a provocation by Georgian forces.”
“Further, the idea that because of this speech Obama “* will* be ridiculed, caricatured, harassed,” etc. by a conservative movement that has been doing all of those things for more than a year without any such provocation is breathtaking in its dishonesty.”
Waldo Jaquith - Will your core beliefs switch with the presidency?
“Inherent in that provocation is NOTHING which indicates my own politics … you have got no idea about my opinions on these issues as I have never outlined them (nor will I).”
I’m Here For An Argument. No You’re Not! Yes I am! « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG
“Please note that no mention of provocation is mentioned according to the law provocation is not an excuse for assaulting someone.”
“Unless, your only answer to provocation is invasion and/or more of this BS.”
“When she participates in trying to discredit the flotilla by characterizing it as a "provocation," as this letter does, she helps put its passengers in danger, because when something is characterized as a "provocation," the implication that many will draw is that violent repression of the "provocation" is justified.”
The Huffington Post: Robert Naiman: Rep. Schakowsky, Am I a "Provocation"?
“And a strike, under certain provocation, may extend as far as did the general strike in Belgium a few years since, when practically the entire wage-earning population stopped work in order to force political concessions from the property-owning classes.”
“Bratton commended officers for showing restraint despite "a lot of provocation from a number of knuckleheads," he said.”
L.A. police scramble to control revelers after Lakers' victory
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘provocation’.
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big book gre
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lavendargrrl's Words
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
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Poetrie: "For I Will Consider My Cat ...
An excerpt from Jubilate Agno, written by Christopher Smart between 1759 and 1763 during his confinement for "lunacy" at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethnal Green, London.
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Opethead's list
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Underworld
Don DeLillo
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Words I like!
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vocab
hard word word 4 strong vocab
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How to Read a Book
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enmity / malevolence / loathing
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