provocative

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French provocatif, and its source, Late Latin provocativus, from Latin provocare.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɒk.ə.tɪv/
(General American) IPA^(key): /pɹəˈvɑk.ə.tɪv/

Adjective

provocative (comparative more provocative, superlative most provocative)

Serving or tending to elicit a strong, often negative sentiment in another person; exasperating.
Serving or tending to excite, stimulate or arouse sexual interest.

Related terms

Translations

tending to provoke strong negative feeling

Arabic: مُسْتَفِز‎‎ (mustafiz)
Catalan: provocador, provocatiu
Czech: provokativní (cs)
Finnish: provosoiva (fi), provokatiivinen, provokatorinen
French: provocateur (fr) m, provocatrice (fr) f
German: provokant (de)
Ido: (-ul,-in) ^{(please verify)} provoko (io) o
Italian: procace (it), attraente (it)

Maori: whakataratara
Norwegian:
Bokmål: provoserende

Nynorsk: provoserande
Polish: prowokacyjny (pl)
Russian: провокацио́нный (ru) (provokaciónnyj)
Spanish: provocador (es), provocativo

tending to arouse sexual interest

Finnish: provokatorinen

Noun

provocative (plural provocatives)

(archaic) Something that provokes an appetite, especially a sexual appetite; an aphrodisiac. [from 15th c.]
- 1723, Charles Walker, Memoirs of the Life of Sally Salisbury:
  She used by way of Provocative, to read the wanton Verses of her Paramour in the day time [...].

Latin

Adjective

prōvocātīve

vocative masculine singular of prōvocātīvus

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