- provocative
-
adjective
Date: 15th century
serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate <a provocative question> • provocative noun • provocatively adverb • provocativeness noun
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
provocative
Look at other dictionaries:
Provocative — Pro*vo ca*tive, n. Anything that is provocative; a stimulant; as, a provocative of appetite. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
provocative — [adj1] aggravating annoying, challenging, disturbing, exciting, galling, goading, heady, incensing, inciting, influential, inspirational, insulting, intoxicating, offensive, outrageous, provoking, pushing, spurring, stimulant, stimulating;… … New thesaurus
Provocative — Pro*vo ca*tive, a. [L. provocativus: cf. OF. provocatif.] Serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; exciting. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
provocative — I adjective aggravating, alluring, annoying, arousing, attractive, bellicose, captivating, challenging, defiant, desirable, electric, electrifying, enchanting, entrancing, exasperating, exciting, galling, galvanic, galvanical, grating, inciting,… … Law dictionary
provocative — early 15c., from obsolete Fr. provocatif (15c.), from L.L. provocativus, from L. provocare (see PROVOKE (Cf. provoke)). Specifically of sexual desire from 1620s. Related: Provocatively … Etymology dictionary
provocative — ► ADJECTIVE 1) deliberately causing annoyance or anger. 2) deliberately arousing sexual desire or interest. DERIVATIVES provocatively adverb provocativeness noun … English terms dictionary
provocative — [prə väk′ə tiv, prōväk′ə tiv] adj. [ME prouocatyue, aphrodisiac < LL provocativus < L provocare: see PROVOKE] provoking or tending to provoke, as to action, thought, feeling, etc.; stimulating, erotic, irritating, etc. n. something that… … English World dictionary
provocative — pro|voc|a|tive [prəˈvɔkətıv US ˈva: ] adj 1.) provocative behaviour, remarks etc are intended to make people angry or upset, or to cause a lot of discussion provocative comment/remark/statement ▪ The minister s provocative remarks were widely… … Dictionary of contemporary English
provocative — [[t]prəvɒ̱kətɪv[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED If you describe something as provocative, you mean that it is intended to make people react angrily or argue against it. He has made a string of outspoken and sometimes provocative speeches in recent years...… … English dictionary
provocative — adj. 1 intending to cause an argument VERBS ▪ be, seem ▪ consider sth ADVERB ▪ extremely, fairly, very, etc … Collocations dictionary
provocative — adjective 1 provocative behaviour, remarks etc are intended to make people angry or to cause a lot of discussion: Some would say he wrote a deliberately provocative book. 2 provocative clothes, movements etc are intended to make someone sexually… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
