provocative

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pro·voc·a·tive

(prə-vŏk′ə-tĭv)

adj.

Tending to provoke or stimulate.

pro·voc′a·tive n.

pro·voc′a·tive·ly adv.

pro·voc′a·tive·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

provocative

(prəˈvɒkətɪv)

adj

acting as a stimulus or incitement, esp to anger or sexual desire; provoking: a provocative look; a provocative remark.

proˈvocatively adv

proˈvocativeness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pro•voc•a•tive

(prəˈvɒk ə tɪv)

adj.

1. tending or serving to provoke; stimulating, exciting, or vexing.

2. something provocative.

[1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin prōvocātīvus. See provoke, -ate¹, -ive]

pro•voc′a•tive•ly, adv.

pro•voc′a•tive•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	provocative - serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; stimulating discussion or exciting controversy; "a provocative remark"; "a provocative smile"; "provocative Irish tunes which...compel the hearers to dance"- Anthony Trollope exciting - creating or arousing excitement; "an exciting account of her trip" unprovocative, unprovoking - not provocative
	2.	provocative - exciting sexual desire; "her gestures and postures became more wanton and provocative" sexy - marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest; "feeling sexy"; "sexy clothes"; "sexy poses"; "a sexy book"; "sexy jokes"

provocative

adjective

1. offensive, provoking, insulting, challenging, disturbing, stimulating, annoying, outrageous, aggravating (informal), incensing, galling, goading Their behaviour was called provocative and antisocial.

2. suggestive, tempting, stimulating, exciting, inviting, sexy (informal), arousing, erotic, seductive, alluring, tantalizing sexually provocative behaviour

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

provocative

adjective

Bordering on indelicacy or impropriety:

blue, earthy, off-color, racy, risqué, salty, scabrous, spicy, suggestive.

Translations

مُثير، مُهَيِّج

vyzývavý

ögrandi, æsandi

vyzývavý

kışkırtıcıtahrik edici

挑衅的激发的

provocative

[prəˈvɒkətɪv] ADJ

1. (= inflammatory) [remark, behaviour] → provocador; [act] → de provocación, provocador

2. (= thought-provoking) [book, film] → sugestivo, que hace reflexionar; [title] → sugestivo

3. (= seductive) [person] → seductor; [clothing, look, smile] → provocativo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

provocative

[prəˈvɒkətɪv] adj

(causing anger or controversy) [remark, article, behaviour, action] → provocateur/trice

(sexually) [person, clothes] → provocant(e)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

provocative

adj

(= thought-provoking) → provozierend, provokatorisch; film, discussion → anregend, kontrovers; he’s just trying to be provocative → er versucht nur zu provozieren

(= erotic, seductive) dress → provozierend; remark → herausfordernd; pose, manner, behaviour → aufreizend, herausfordernd, provozierend

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

provocative

[prəˈvɒkətɪv] adj (causing anger) → provocatorio/a; (seductive) → provocante; (thought-provoking) → stimolante

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

provoke

(prəˈvəuk) verb

1. to make angry or irritated. Are you trying to provoke me?

2. to cause. His words provoked laughter.

3. to cause (a person etc) to react in an angry way. He was provoked into hitting her.

provocation (provəˈkeiʃən) noun

the act of provoking or state of being provoked.

proˈvocative (-ˈvokətiv) adjective

likely to rouse feeling, especially anger or sexual interest. provocative remarks; a provocative dress.

proˈvocatively adverb

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References in classic literature ?

The death agonies of a fellow being are, to these strange creatures provocative of the wildest hilarity, while their chief form of commonest amusement is to inflict death on their prisoners of war in various ingenious and horrible ways.

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The geniality of which they were provocative was marvellous.

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And, though the sight of her was provocative of nausea and the contact of her provocative of despair, although he could not escape her awfulness in his dream-haunted nightmares of her, he nevertheless was aware of the cosmic verity of sex that animated her and that made her own life of less value than the happiness of her lover with whom she hoped to mate.

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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.

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The next day Danglars was again hungry; certainly the air of that dungeon was very provocative of appetite.

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The Revolution was a grand thing!" continued Monsieur Pierre, betraying by this desperate and provocative proposition his extreme youth and his wish to express all that was in his mind.

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The regret in his voice was provocative of a second burst of laughter.

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Minor strains were especially provocative in getting him started, and, once started, he would sing with her as long as she wished.

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But these fingers were provocative only of physical pleasure so keen that he twisted and writhed his whole body in acknowledgment.

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Eyes bright, sinister, curious, admiring, provocative, alluring were bent upon him, for his garb and air proclaimed him a devotee to the hour of solace and pleasure.

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They carried alforjas all of them, and all apparently well filled, at least with things provocative of thirst, such as would summon it from two leagues off.

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There was something perverse and provocative in the notion of fur worn in the evening in a heated drawing-room, and in the combination of a muffled throat and bare arms; but the effect was undeniably pleasing.