provocation

C2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ˌpɹɑvəˈkeɪʃən/ UK /ˌpɹɒvəˈkeɪʃən/ See IPA manual

noun Freq #16460

Meanings

1

noun
An action or remark that deliberately makes someone angry or upset.

He stayed calm even under constant provocation.
2

noun
Something that incites or stirs up a reaction.

The new tax served as a provocation for nationwide protests.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an action or remark that... aggravation

2 noun · something that incites or... incitationincitement

Word family

Forms provocations

Derived forms bronchoprovocationnonprovocationoverprovocationpreprovocationprovocationismprovocationist

Related forms provocateurprovocator provoke

Etymology

From Middle English provocacioun, from Old French provocacion, from Late Latin prōvocātiō, prōvocātiōnem, from Latin prōvocō. Doublet of provokatsiya.

provocacioun Middle English provocacion Old French provocatio la-lat prōvocō Latin

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Topics

Space, Position & Direction Word Formation & Derivatives

# provocation

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˌpɹɑvəˈkeɪʃən
**IPA (UK):** ˌpɹɒvəˈkeɪʃən
**Frequency rank:** 16460

## Meanings
1. An action or remark that deliberately makes someone angry or upset.
2. Something that incites or stirs up a reaction.

## Examples
- He stayed calm even under constant provocation.
- The new tax served as a provocation for nationwide protests.

## Derived Forms
- bronchoprovocation
- nonprovocation
- overprovocation
- preprovocation
- provocationism
- provocationist

## Related Forms
- provocateur
- provocator
- provoke

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: provocacioun
- Root: provocacion
- Root: provocatio
- Root: prōvocō

## Etymology
From Middle English provocacioun, from Old French provocacion, from Late Latin prōvocātiō, prōvocātiōnem, from Latin prōvocō. Doublet of provokatsiya.

## AI Etymology
Provocation is from Middle English provocacioun, from Old French provocacion, from Late Latin prōvocātiō, prōvocātiōnem, from Latin prōvocō. Doublet of provokatsiya. In present-day use, it can mean an action or remark that deliberately makes someone angry or upset, or something that incites or stirs up a reaction. Derived formations include bronchoprovocation, nonprovocation, overprovocation, preprovocation, and provocationism.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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provocation

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