provocative

noun

Something that provokes an appetite, especially a sexual appetite; an aphrodisiac.

adjective

Serving or tending to elicit a strong, often negative sentiment in another person; exasperating.

Serving or tending to excite, stimulate or arouse sexual interest; sexy.

Provoking or triggering any response.

Roots

propro- · Latin · forth, forward voco-voc · Latin · call

Synonyms for provocative

provokingadj titillatingadj arousingv racyadj stimulatingadj suggestiveadj intriguingadj seductiveadj sexyadj tantalizingadj excitingadj alluringadj rousingadj enticingadj agitatingadj

Synonyms & related words for provocative

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of provocative — including provoking, titillating, arousing, racy, stimulating, suggestive. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to provocative

Explore words related to provocative — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include provocativeness, provokingly, provocatively, provocateur, titillatingly, provocation, provokes, provoker. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for provocative

Common synonyms for provocative include provoking, titillating, arousing, racy, stimulating, suggestive, intriguing, seductive — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does provocative come from?

The word provocative breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: pro-, from Latin pro (“forth, forward”); and -voc, from Latin voco (“call”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.