Provoke

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɹəˈvəʊk/

Definitions

1. To deliberately cause someone to feel anger, react strongly, or take action through words or behavior
2. To stimulate a strong negative emotional response or reaction in someone through intentional actions or verbal prompts
3. To incite or stir a response, especially anger or annoyance, by deliberate behavior or remarks

Etymology: The Latin "prōvocāre" was a compound of "prō," meaning "forth" or "out," and "vocāre," meaning "to call." To provoke was literally to call someone out, summoning them into the open, which is why the original sense had nothing to do with anger. Latin speakers used it for challenging a person to a contest or fight. The word reached English by way of Middle French "provoquer," which carried the same idea of calling forth. The English sense of stirring someone to anger or a response developed from that core notion of drawing a reaction out of a person. A provocation, in other words, was first an invitation, and only later became a goad.

Synonyms: incite, stimulate, agitate, instigate, encourage

Antonyms: calm, pacify, soothe, appease, dissuade