Thesaurus
provoke
verb
Synonyms and Antonyms of PROVOKE
1
to rouse to strong feeling or action <his teasing finally provoked her to anger> <bees generally will not sting unless they are provoked>
Synonyms arouse, encourage, excite, fire (up), impassion, incite, instigate, move, pique, rev (up), spark, stimulate, stir
Related Words fan, ignite, inflame (also enflame), kindle, trigger; activate, animate, drive, energize, galvanize, induce, inspire, key (up), motivate, motive, pump up, quicken, set off, vitalize; abet, ferment, foment, raise, whip (up); anger, enrage, madden, upset; jeer, taunt, tease; aggravate, annoy, bother, exasperate, gall, get, irritate, vex
Phrases build a fire under
2
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being <rankings that are sure to provoke an argument among film buffs>
Related Words advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, foster, further, nourish, nurture, promote, sow, stimulate; detonate, set, set off, trigger; excite, galvanize, inflame (also enflame), inspire, motivate, rouse; activate, energize, enliven, fire, invigorate, jazz (up), liven (up), pep (up), quicken, stimulate, vitalize
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