provocation
noun/ˌprɒvəˈkeɪʃn/
/ˌprɑːvəˈkeɪʃn/
[uncountable, countable]- the act of doing or saying something deliberately in order to make somebody angry or upset; something that is done or said to cause this
- without provocation He fired a shot without any provocation.
- despite provocation She observed great restraint despite provocation.
- They seem ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
- So far the police have refused to respond to their provocations.
Extra ExamplesTopics Opinion and argumentc2, Feelingsc2- She attacked him without provocation.
- I regret rising to his provocation.
- The foreign minister described the activities on the border as ‘a flagrant provocation’.
- Words alone can constitute provocation.
- The defendant was not acting under provocation.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- extreme
- deliberate
- element
- respond to
- constitute
- under provocation
- without provocation
- at the slightest provocation
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French, from Latin provocatio(n-), from the verb provocare ‘challenge’, from pro- ‘forth’ + vocare ‘to call’.Definitions on the go
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provocation