To appeal. [A Latinism, not used.]
Word of the Day: Catachrestical
1. To call into action; to arouse; to excite; as, to provoke anger or wrath by offensive words or by injury; to provoke war.
3. Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. Ephesians 6:4 .
5. To excite; to cause; as, to provoke perspiration; to provoke a smile.
6. To excite; to stimulate; to increase.
7. The taste of pleasure provokes the appetite, and every successive indulgence of vice which is to form a habit, is easier than the last.
8. To challenge.
9. He now provokes the sea-gods from the shore.
11. Let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works. Hebrews 10:24 .
1. To cause provocation or anger.
2. To appeal. [A Latinism]
Cause Roget’s Thesaurus §153
N. cause, origin, source, principle, element, occasioner, prime mover, primum mobile, vera causa, author, mainspring, agent, leaven, groundwork, foundation, spring, fountain, well, font, fountainhead, spring head, wellhead, fons et origo, genesis, descent, remote cause, influence, pivot, hinge, turning point, lever, crux, fulcrum, key, proximate cause, causa causans, straw that breaks the camel's back, ground, reason, reason why, why and wherefore, rationale, occasion, derivation, final cause, les dessous des cartes, undercurrents, rudiment, egg, germ, embryo, bud, root, radix radical, etymon, nucleus, seed, stem, stock, stirps, trunk, tap-root, gemmule, radicle, semen, sperm, nest, cradle, nursery, womb, nidus, birthplace, hotbed, causality, causation, origination, production
V. be the cause of, originate, give origin to, give rise, to, give occasion to, cause, occasion, sow the seeds of, kindle, suscitate, bring on, bring to bring pass, bring about, produce, create, set up, set afloat, set on foot, found, broach, institute, lay the foundation of, lie at the root of, procure, induce, draw down, open the door to, superinduce, evoke, entail, operate, elicit, provoke, conduce to, contribute, have a hand in the pie, have a finger in the pie, determine, decide, turn the scale, have a common origin, derive its origin
Adj. caused, causal, original, primary, primitive, primordial, aboriginal, protogenal, radical, embryonic, embryotic, in embryo, in ovo, seminal, germinal, at the bottom of, connate, having a common origin
Adv. because, behind the scenes
Phr. causa latet vis est notissima, felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas
Motive Roget’s Thesaurus §615
N. motive, springs of action, wellsprings of action, reason, ground, call, principle, by end, by purpose, mainspring, primum mobile, keystone, the why and the wherefore, pro and con, reason why, secret motive, arriere pensee, intention, inducement, consideration, attraction, loadstone, magnet, magnetism, magnetic force, allectation|, allective|, temptation, enticement, agacerie, allurement, witchery, bewitchment, bewitchery, charm, spell, fascination, blandishment, cajolery, seduction, seducement, honeyed words, voice of the tempter, song of the sirens forbidden fruit, golden apple, persuasibility, persuasibleness, attractability, impressibility, susceptibility, softness, persuasiveness, attractiveness, tantalization, influence, prompting, dictate, instance, impulse, impulsion, incitement, incitation, press, instigation, provocation, inspiration, persuasion, suasion, encouragement, advocacy, exhortation, advice, solicitation, lobbyism, pull*, incentive, stimulus, spur, fillip, whip, goad, ankus, rowel, provocative, whet, dram, bribe, lure, decoy, decoy duck, bait, trail of a red herring, bribery and corruption, sop, sop for cerberus, prompter, tempter, seducer, seductor, instigator, firebrand, incendiary, siren, circe, agent provocateur, lobbyist
V. induce, move, draw, draw on, bring in its train, give an impulse, to, inspire, put up to, prompt, call up, attract, beckon, stimulate, spirit up, inspirit, rouse, arouse, animate, incite, foment, provoke, instigate, set on, actuate, act upon, work upon, operate upon, encourage, pat on the back, pat on the shoulder, clap on the back, clap on the shoulder, influence, weigh with, bias, sway, incline, dispose, predispose, turn the scale, inoculate, lead by the nose, have influence with, have influence over, have influence upon, exercise influence with, exercise influence over, exercise influence upon, go round, come round one, turn the head, magnetize, lobby, persuade, prevail with, prevail upon, overcome, carry, bring round to one's senses, bring to one's senses, draw over, win over, gain over, come over, talk over, procure, enlist, engage, invite, court, tempt, seduce, overpersuade, entice, allure, captivate, fascinate, bewitch, carry away, charm, conciliate, wheedle, coax, lure, inveigle, tantalize, cajole, tamper with, bribe, suborn, grease the palm, bait with a silver hook, gild the pill, make things pleasant, put a sop into the pan, throw a sop to, bait the hook, enforce, force, impel, propel, whip, lash, goad, spur, prick, urge, egg on, hound, hurry on, drag, exhort, advise, call upon &c. press, advocate, set an example, set the fashion, keep in countenance, be persuaded &c, yield to temptation, come round, concede, obey a call, follow advice, follow the bent, follow the dictates of, act on principle
Adj. impulsive, motive, suasive, suasory, persuasive, persuasory, hortative, hortatory, protreptical|, inviting, tempting, &c. v, suasive, suasory, seductive, attractive, fascinating, provocative, induced, disposed, persuadable, spellbound, instinct with, smitten with, infatuated, inspired, by
Adv. because, therefore, from this motive, from that motive, for this reason, for that reason, for, by reason of, for the sake of, count of, out of, from, as, forasmuch as, for all the world, on principle
Phr. fax mentis incendium gloriae, "temptation hath a music for all ears" "to beguile many and be beguiled by one"
Excitation Roget’s Thesaurus §824
N. excitation of feeling, mental excitement, suscitation, galvanism, stimulation, piquance, piquancy, provocation, inspiration, calling forth, infection, animation, agitation, perturbation, subjugation, fascination, intoxication, enravishment, entrancement, pressure, tension, high pressure, unction, impressiveness, trail of temper, casus belli, irritation, passion, thrill, repression of feeling, sensationalism, yellow journalism
V. excite, affect, touch, move, impress, strike, interest, animate, inspire, impassion, smite, infect, stir the blood, fire the blood, warm the blood, set astir, wake, awake, awaken, call forth, evoke, provoke, raise up, summon up, call up, wake up, blow up, get up, light up, raise, get up the steam, rouse, arouse, stir, fire, kindle, enkindle, apply the torch, set on fire, inflame, stimulate, exsuscitate|, inspirit, spirit up, stir up, work up, pique, infuse life into, give new life to, bring new blood, introduce new blood, quicken, sharpen, whet, work upon, hurry on, give a fillip, put on one's mettle, fan the fire, fan the flame, blow the coals, stir the embers, fan into a flame, foster, heat, warm, foment, raise to a fever heat, keep up, keep the pot boiling, revive, rekindle, rake up, rip up, stir the feelings, play on the feelings, come home to the feelings, touch a string, touch a chord, touch the soul, touch the heart, go to one's heart, penetrate, pierce, go through one, touch to the quick, possess the soul, pervade the soul, penetrate the soul, imbrue the soul, absorb the soul, affect the soul, disturb the soul, absorb, rivet the attention, sink into the mind, sink into the heart, prey on the mind, distract, intoxicate, overwhelm, overpower, bouleverser, upset, turn one's head, fascinate, enrapture, agitate, perturb, ruffle, fluster, shake, disturb, startle, shock, stagger, give one a shock, give one a turn, strike all of a heap, stun, astound, electrify, galvanize, petrify, irritate, sting, cut to the heart, cut to the quick, try one's temper, fool to the top of one's bent, pique, infuriate, madden, make one's blood boil, lash into fury, be excited, flush up, flare up, catch the infection, thrill, mantle, work oneself up, seethe, boil, simmer, foam, fume, flame, rage, rave, run mad
Adj. excited, wrought up, up the qui vive, astir, sparkling, in a quiver, in a fever, in a ferment, in a blaze, in a state of excitement, in hysterics, black in the face, overwrought, tense, taught, on a razor's edge, hot, red-hot, flushed, feverish, all of a twitter, in a pucker, with quivering lips, with tears in one's eyes, flaming, boiling over, ebullient, seething, foaming at the mouth, fuming, raging, carried away by passion, wild, raving, frantic, mad, distracted, beside oneself, out of one's wits, ready to burst, bouleverse, demoniacal, lost, eperdu, tempest-tossed, haggard, ready to sink, stung to the quick, up, on one's high ropes, exciting, absorbing, riveting, distracting, impressive, warm, glowing, fervid, swelling, imposing, spirit-stirring, thrilling, high- wrought, soul-stirring, soul-subduing, heart-stirring, heart-swelling, heart-thrilling, agonizing, telling, sensational, hysterical, overpowering, overwhelming, more than flesh and blood can bear, yellow, piquant, spicy, appetizing, provocative, provoquant, tantalizing, eager to go, anxious to go, chafing at the bit
Adv. till one is black in the face
Phr. the heart beating high, the heart going pitapat, the heart leaping into one's mouth, the blood being up, the blood boiling in one's veins, the eye glistening - "in a fine frenzy rolling", the head turned, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going"
Painfulness Roget’s Thesaurus §830
N. painfulness, trouble, care, trial, affliction, infliction, blow, stroke, burden, load, curse, bitter pill, bitter draught, waters of bitterness, annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener, bore, bother, pother, hot water, "sea of troubles", hornet's nest, plague, pest, cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn, canker, scorpion, dagger, scourge, carking care, canker worm of care, mishap, misfortune, desagrement, esclandre, rub, source of irritation, source of annoyance, wound, open sore, sore subject, skeleton in the closet, thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side, where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood, sorry sight, heavy news, provocation, affront, "head and front of one's offending", infestation, molestation, malignity
V. cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain, pain, hurt, wound, pinch, prick, gripe, pierce, lancinate, cut, hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings, wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart, make the heart bleed, tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings, draw tears from the eyes, sadden, make unhappy, plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash, afflict, distress, cut up, cut to the heart, displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet, faze, feaze, feeze (u .s.), disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret|, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune, wring, harrow, torment, torture, bullyrag, put to the rack, put to the question, break on the wheel, rack, scarify, cruciate, crucify, convulse, agonize, barb the dart, plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side, irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall, sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick, aggrieve, affront, enchafe, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper, give offense, maltreat, bite, snap at, assail, smite, sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils, go against the stomach, turn the stomach, make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear, stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal, appall, freeze the blood, make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end, make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold, make one shudder, haunt the memory, weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits, bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, add a nail to one's coffin
Adj. causing pain, hurting, hurtful, painful, dolorific, dolorous, unpleasant, unpleasing, displeasing, disagreeable, unpalatable, bitter, distasteful, uninviting, unwelcome, undesirable, undesired, obnoxious, unacceptable, unpopular, thankless, unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable, distressing, afflicting, afflictive, joyless, cheerless, comfortless, dismal, disheartening, depressing, depressive, dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous, woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable, sad, affecting, touching, pathetic, irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling, unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious, troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome, plaguing, plaguy, awkward, importunate, teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking, intolerable, insufferable, insupportable, unbearable, unendurable, past bearing, not to be borne, not to be endured, more than flesh and blood can bear, enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot, shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing, dreadful, fearful, frightful, thrilling, tremendous, dire, heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening, harrowing, rending, odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent, horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying, offensive, nauseous, nauseating, disgusting, sickening, revolting, nasty, loathsome, loathful, fulsome, vile, hideous, sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic, cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing, envenomed, catheretic, pyrotic, ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical, desolating, withering, burdensome, onerous, oppressive, cumbrous, cumbersome
Adv. painfully, with pain, deuced
Int. hinc illae lachrymae, phr, surgit amari aliquid, the place being too hot to hold one, the iron entering into the soul, "he jests at scars that never felt a wound", "i must be cruel only to be kind", "what deep wounds ever closed without a scar?"
Aggravation Roget’s Thesaurus §835
V. aggravate, render worse, heighten, embitter, sour, exacerbate, exasperate, envenom, enrage, provoke, tease, add fuel to the fire, add fuel to the flame, fan the flame, go from bad to worse
Adv. out of the frying pan into the fire, from bad to worse, worse and worse
Int. so much the worse
Resentment Roget’s Thesaurus §900
N. resentment, displeasure, animosity, anger, wrath, indignation, exasperation, bitter resentment, wrathful indignation, pique, umbrage, huff, miff, soreness, dudgeon, acerbity, virulence, bitterness, acrimony, asperity, spleen, gall, heart-burning, heart- swelling, rankling, ill humor, bad humor, ill temper, bad temper, irascibility, ill blood, revenge, excitement, irritation, warmth, bile, choler, ire, fume, pucker, dander, ferment, ebullition, towering passion, acharnement, angry mood, taking, pet, tiff, passion, fit, tantrums, burst, explosion, paroxysm, storm, rage, fury, desperation, violence, fire and fury, vials of wrath, gnashing of teeth, hot blood, high words, scowl, sulks, affront, provocation, offense, indignity, grudge, crow to pluck, bone to pick, sore subject, casus belli, ill turn, outrage, furies, eumenides, buffet, slap in the face, box on the ear, rap on the knuckles
V. resent, take amiss, take ill, take to heart, take offense, take umbrage, take huff, take exception, take in ill part, take in bad part, take in dudgeon, ne pas entendre raillerie, breathe revenge, cut up rough, fly into a rage, fall into a rage, get into a rage, fly into a passion, bridle up, bristle up, froth up, fire up, flare up, open the vials of one's wrath, pour out the vials of one's wrath, pout, knit the brow, frown, scowl, lower, snarl, growl, gnarl, gnash, snap, redden, color, look black, look black as thunder, look daggers, bite one's thumb, show one's teeth, grind one's teeth, champ the bit, champ at the bit, chafe, mantle, fume, kindle, fly out, take fire, boil, boil over, boil with indignation, boil with rage, rage, storm, foam, vent one's rage, vent one's spleen, lose one's temper, stand on one's hind legs, stamp the foot, stamp with rage, quiver with rage, swell with rage, foam with rage, burst with anger, raise cain, have a fling at, bear malice, cause anger, raise anger, affront, offend, give offense, give umbrage, anger, hurt the feelings, insult, discompose, fret, ruffle, nettle, huff, pique, excite, irritate, stir the blood, stir up bile, sting, sting to the quick, rile, provoke, chafe, wound, incense, inflame, enrage, aggravate, add fuel to the flame, fan into a flame, widen the breach, envenom, embitter, exasperate, infuriate, kindle wrath, stick in one's gizzard, rankle &e, 919, hit on the raw, rub on the raw, sting on the raw, strike on the raw, put out of countenance, put out of humor, put one's monkey up, put one's back up, raise one's gorge, raise one's dander, raise one's choler, work up into a passion, make one's blood boil, make the ears tingle, throw, into a ferment, madden, drive one mad, lash into fury, lash into madness, fool to the top of one's bent, set by the ears, bring a hornet's nest about one's ears
Adj. angry, wrath, irate, ireful, wrathful, cross, achillean, sulky, &c. 901a, bitter, virulent, acrimonious &c. (discourteous), violent, warm, burning, boiling, boiling over, fuming, raging, foaming, foaming at the mouth, convulsed with rage, offended, waxy, acharne, wrought, worked up, indignant, hurt, sore, set against, fierce, wild, rageful, furious, mad with rage, fiery, infuriate, rabid, savage, relentless, flushed with anger, flushed with rage, in a huff, in a stew, in a fume, in a pucker, in a passion, in a rage, in a fury, in a taking, in a way, on one's high ropes, up in arms, in high dudgeon
Adv. angrily, in the height of passion, in the heat of passion, in the heat of the moment
Int. tantaene animis coelestibus irae, marry come up, zounds, 'sdeath, phr, one's blood being up, one's back being up, one's monkey being up, fervens difficili bile jecur, the gorge rising, eyes flashing fire, the blood rising, the blood boiling, haeret lateri lethalis arundo, "beware the fury of a patient man", furor arma ministrat, ira furor brevis est, quem jupiter vult perdere dementat prius, "what, drunk with choler?"
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86 KJV and 51 BSB verses contain “Provoke” — showing the first 20. Show all 94 verses (searchable)
But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
But if the LORD brings about something unprecedented, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them and all that belongs to them so that they go down alive into Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.”