provocative
adjective /prəˈvɒkətɪv/
/prəˈvɑːkətɪv/
- intended to make people angry or upset; intended to make people argue about something
- a provocative remark
- He doesn't really mean that—he's just being deliberately provocative.
- The book’s epilogue is deliberately provocative.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- seem
- consider something
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- intended to make somebody sexually excited
- a provocative smile
- She was dressed in a highly provocative way.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- highly
- very
- sexually
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French provocatif, -ive, from late Latin provocativus, from provocat- ‘called forth, challenged’, from the verb provocare ‘challenge’, from pro- ‘forth’ + vocare ‘to call’.