| Main Entry: | provoke |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make angry |
Synonyms: |
abet, abrade, affront, aggravate, anger, annoy, bother, bug*, chafe, enrage, exasperate, exercise, foment, fret, gall*, get on one's nerves, get under one's skin, get*, grate, hit where one lives, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, insult, irk, irritate, madden, make blood boil, make waves, nag, offend, perturb, pique, put out, raise, rile, roil, ruffle, set on, set*, try one's patience, upset, vex, whip up, work into lather, work up |
| Notes: | provoke means to stir up or arouse - or to incite to anger or resentment; evoke means to call forth or call to mind emotions, feelings, and responses |
Antonyms: |
delight, make happy, please |
| Main Entry: | provoke |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | start, evoke; stimulate |
Synonyms: |
animate, arouse, awaken, begin, bestir, bring about, bring down, bring on, bring to one's feet, build up, call forth, cause, challenge, draw forth, electrify, elicit, enthuse, excite, fire, fire up, galvanize, generate, give rise to, incite, induce, inflame, innervate, innerve, inspire, instigate, kindle, lead to, make, motivate, move, occasion, pique, precipitate, prime, produce, promote, prompt, quicken, rally, rouse, roust, stir, suscitate, thrill, titillate, titivate, waken, whet |
Antonyms: |
end, halt, prevent, stop |
| Main Entry: | abet |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | assist, help in wrongdoing |
Synonyms: |
advocate, back, condone, egg on, encourage, endorse, goad, incite, instigate, prod, promote, provoke, sanction, spur, support, urge |
Antonyms: |
counter, deter, discourage, frustrate, hinder, hurt, impede, obstruct, resist |
| Main Entry: | acerbate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | exasperate |
Synonyms: |
aggravate, annoy, disturb, perturb, provoke, rattle one's cage |
| Main Entry: | affront |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | insult or involve in entanglement |
Synonyms: |
abuse, anger, annoy, confront, criticize, displease, dispraise, dump on, encounter, face, give a zinger, give the cold shoulder, hit where one lives, meet, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, put down*, slander, slight, taunt, vex |
| Notes: | effrontery means shameless boldness or insulting presumptuousness while an affront is a deliberately offensive act or open insult |
Antonyms: |
appease, assuage, compliment, gratify, mollify, placate, please, satisfy, soothe |
| Main Entry: | aggravate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy |
Synonyms: |
be at, be on the back of, bother, bug, bum*, dog, drive up the wall, exasperate, gall, get, get on one's nerves, get to, give a hard time, grate, hack, irk, irritate, nag, needle, nettle, peeve, pester, pick on, pique, provoke, tease, vex, wig |
Antonyms: |
appease, gladden, make happy, mollify, soften |
| Main Entry: | anger |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make someone mad; become mad |
Synonyms: |
acerbate, affront, aggravate, agitate, annoy, antagonize, arouse, bait, blow up, boil over, boil, bristle, burn, burn up, chafe, craze*, cross, displease, egg on, embitter, enrage, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, fret, gall, get mad, get on one's nerves, goad, incense, inflame, infuriate, irritate, lose one's temper, madden, make sore, miff, nettle, offend, outrage, pique, provoke, raise hell, rankle, rant, rave, rile, ruffle, seethe, steam up, stew, stir up, tempt, umbrage, vex |
Antonyms: |
calm, forbear, make happy, quiet, soothe |
| Main Entry: | annoy |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | irritate, upset |
Synonyms: |
T-off, abrade, agitate, ask for it, badger, be at, be on the back of, bedevil, beleaguer, bore, bother, break, bug, burn up, chafe, displease, distress, disturb, egg on, exasperate, fire up, gall, get, gnaw, harass, harry, heat up, henpeck, hit where one lives, irk, madden, make waves, miff, nag, needle, nettle, nudge, peeve, perturb, pester, plague, provoke, push button, ride, rile, ruffle, tease, tick off, trouble, turn off, vex, work on, worry |
Antonyms: |
aid, gratify, make happy, please, soothe |
| Main Entry: | arouse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, entice |
Synonyms: |
agitate, alert, animate, awaken, call, challenge, electrify, enliven, fire up, foment, foster, goad, heat up, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, move, provoke, rally, rouse, send, spark, spur, stimulate, stir, thrill, turn on, wake up, waken, warm, whet, whip up, work up |
Antonyms: |
bore, calm, lull, quiet |
| Main Entry: | awake |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | become or make aware |
Synonyms: |
activate, alert, animate, arouse, awaken, call forth, enliven, excite, incite, kindle, provoke, revive, stimulate, stir up, vivify |
Antonyms: |
deaden, lull |