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provocation - 20 thesaurus results
| Main Entry: | provocation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | incitement, stimulus |
| Synonyms: | affront, annoyance, cause, challenge, dare, defy, grievance, grounds, harassment, incentive, indignity, inducement, injury, instigation, insult, justification, motivation, offense, provoking, reason, taunt, vexation, bothering, brickbat, casus belli, grabber, irking, vexing |
| Antonyms: | prevention, repression, suppression |
| Main Entry: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | an insult |
| Synonyms: | abuse, indignity, injury, left-handed compliment*, offense, outrage, provocation, put-down*, slap*, slight, slur, vexation, wrong, backhanded compliment, brickbat, dirty deed, slap in the face |
| Notes: | effrontery means shameless boldness or insulting presumptuousness while an affront is a deliberately offensive act or open insult |
| Antonyms: | appeasement, compliment, pleasantry |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | awakening |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | making conscious or alert |
| Synonyms: | birth, incitement, kindling, provocation, rebirth, renewal, revival, rousing, stimulation, waking, activation, animating, arousal, awaking, enlivening, stirring up, vivication, waking up |
| Antonyms: | sleep, sleeping |
| Main Entry: | challenge |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | dispute, question |
| Synonyms: | confrontation, dare, defiance, demanding, demur, interrogation, objection, protest, provocation, remonstrance, test, threat, trial, ultimatum, claiming, summons to contest |
| Antonyms: | agree, answer, decide, win |
| Main Entry: | dare |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | challenge, defiance |
| Synonyms: | cartel, defy, provocation, stump, taunt |
| Main Entry: | defiance |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | disobedience, disregard |
| Synonyms: | affront, audacity, back talk*, big talk*, boldness, bravado, call, cartel, challenge, command, confrontation, contempt, dare, defy, effrontery, gas*, guts*, hot air*, impudence, insolence, insubordination, lip*, muster*, opposition, order, provocation, rebellion, revolt, sass*, spite, stump, summons, temerity, brazenness, contrariness, contumacy, enjoinder, factiousness, impugnment, insurgence, insurgency, intractableness, perversity, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, throwing of the gauntlet, unruliness |
| Antonyms: | acquiescence, obedience, regard, respect, submission, subordination |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | excitement |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | enthusiasm; incitement |
| Synonyms: | action, activity, ado, adventure, agitation, animation, bother, buzz*, commotion, confusion, disturbance, dither*, drama, elation, emotion, feeling, ferment, fever, flurry, frenzy, furor, fuss, heat*, hubbub*, hullabaloo*, hurry, hysteria, impulse, instigation, intoxication, motivation, motive, movement, passion, perturbation, provocation, rage, stimulation, stimulus, stir, thrill, titillation, to-do*, trepidation, tumult, turmoil, urge, warmth, discomposure, excitation, kicks, melodrama, wildness |
| Antonyms: | apathy, boredom, calm, calmness, dullness, lull, peace |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | fuel |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | something providing energy |
| Synonyms: | ammunition, combustible, electricity, encouragement, food, gas, incitement, juice, material, means, nourishment, provocation, propellant |
| Main Entry: | harassment |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | badgering |
| Synonyms: | aggravation, annoyance, bother, disturbance, exasperation, hassle, irritation, nuisance, persecution, perturbation, provocation, provoking, torment, trouble, vexation, bedevilment, bothering, irking, molestation, pestering, vexing |
| Antonyms: | aid, assistance, furtherance, help, support, facilitation |
| Main Entry: | incentive |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | lure, inducement |
| Synonyms: | bait, catalyst, come-on*, consideration, drive, encouragement, enticement, excuse, exhortation, goad, ground, impetus, impulse, incitement, influence, insistence, inspiration, instigation, motivation, motive, persuasion, provocation, purpose, rationale, reason, spring, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulus, temptation, urge, whip, allurement, carrot*, determinant, reason why |
| Antonyms: | block, hindrance, turn-off |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | invitation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | proposal; asking |
| Synonyms: | appeal, attraction, begging, bid, bidding, call, challenge, date, encouragement, enticement, feeler*, ground, hit, incitement, inducement, invite, lure, motive, offer, open door*, overture, paper, pass, petition, pressure, proffer, proposition, provocation, rain check, reason, request, suggestion, summons, supplication, temptation, urge, allurement, compliments, coquetry, prompting, solicitation |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | motivation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | ambition, inspiration |
| Synonyms: | action, angle, catalyst, desire, disposition, drive, encouragement, fire, gimmick, hunger, impetus, impulse, incentive, incitement, inclination, inducement, instigation, interest, kick*, motive, persuasion, predisposition, provocation, push, reason, right stuff*, spur, stimulus, suggestion, wish, actuation, get up and go, goose*, impulsion, incitation, predetermination |
| Antonyms: | depression, discouragement |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | pique |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | anger, irritation |
| Synonyms: | annoyance, blowup*, dander*, displeasure, flare-up, grudge, huff, hurt, irk, miff*, offense, peeve, pet*, provocation, resentment, rise, ruckus*, sore*, stew*, storm*, tiff*, umbrage, vexation, conniption, slow burn, snit |
| Antonyms: | cheer, happiness, joy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | temptation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | lure, attraction |
| Synonyms: | appeal, bait, come-on*, decoy, draw, enticement, fancy, fascination, hankering, inducement, invitation, provocation, pull, seduction, snare, trap*, yen, allurement, attractiveness, blandishment, coaxing, inveiglement, seducement, tantalization |
| Antonyms: | discouragement, dislike, repulsion |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | torment |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | severe mental distress |
| Synonyms: | affliction, agony, anguish, annoyance, bane, bother, harassment, hell, irritation, misery, nag, nuisance, pain, pain in the neck*, persecution, pest, plague, provocation, rack, scourge, suffering, torture, trouble, vexation, worry, excruciation, nagging |
| Antonyms: | contentment, glee, happiness, joy |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | incitement |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | motive |
| Synonyms: | incentive, instigation, provocation, stimulus, incitation |
| Main Entry: | last straw |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | breaking point |
| Synonyms: | affront, final stroke, indignity, last lick, limit, match in the powder barrel, overload, provocation, straw that broke the camel's back |
| Main Entry: | aggravation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | annoyance |
| Synonyms: | affliction, bother, difficulty, distress, exasperation, hang-up*, headache*, irritation, pain, pain in the neck*, pet peeve*, provocation, teasing, vexation, worry, aggro, botheration, irksomeness |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | occasion |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | reason, cause |
| Synonyms: | antecedent, basis, call, circumstance, excuse, foundation, ground, grounds, incident, inducement, influence, justification, motivation, motive, necessity, obligation, provocation, purpose, right, warrant, determinant, prompting |
| Main Entry: | irritation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | a disturbed mental state |
| Synonyms: | anger, annoyance, discomfort, exasperation, provocation, stress, upset, vexation |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
