provocative

adjective

pro·​voc·​a·​tive prə-ˈvä-kə-tiv 

: serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate

a provocative question

provocative noun

provocatively adverb

provocativeness noun

Synonyms of provocative

• exciting
• charged
• provoking
• motivational
• motivating
• stimulating
• edgy

Examples of provocative in a Sentence

a thoughtful and provocative book

It was one of his more provocative suggestions.

She was wearing a very provocative outfit.

Recent Examples on the Web

The sports media rarely treats athletes who espouse liberal or progressive political views as problematic, even when those views are provocative, divisive, or factually incorrect. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Others do not, such as the TV show conceit, which, though provocative in theory, will come across to many readers as functionally cosmetic. — Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026

Your work has long played with pleasure, kink and the tension between what is proper and what is provocative — from your infamous jockstraps to the recent patent leather groom who closed the recent men’s show in Milan. — Tyler Matthew Oyer, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

After two daring and provocative ready-to-wear shows, Jean Paul Gaultier creative director Duran Lantink took things down a notch this season. — Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for provocative

• evocative
• talkative
• vocative

Kids Definition

provocative

adjective

pro·​voc·​a·​tive prə-ˈväk-ət-iv 

: serving or tending to provoke

provocative comments

provocatively adverb

provocativeness noun

Medical Definition

provocative

adjective

pro·​voc·​a·​tive prə-ˈväk-ət-iv 

: serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate

provocative test for coronary spasm

—The Journal of the American Medical Association