| Main Entry: | provocation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | incitement, stimulus |
Synonyms: |
affront, annoyance, bothering, brickbat, casus belli, cause, challenge, dare, defy, grabber, grievance, grounds, harassment, incentive, indignity, inducement, injury, instigation, insult, irking, justification, motivation, offense, provoking, reason, taunt, vexation, vexing |
Antonyms: |
prevention, repression, suppression |
| Main Entry: | red flag |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | warning signal |
Synonyms: |
casus belli, delicate subject, red light, red rag, sore point |
| Main Entry: | root of the matter |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | heart of an issue |
Synonyms: |
casus belli, root of the trouble |