provokingly
- adverb
- /prəˈvoʊkɪŋli/
- She smiled provokingly as she presented her controversial opinion during the debate.
Examples
-
And most provokingly,
Blog text (1) -
" Thou art not," Audubon wrote provokingly, "daring as I am about leaving one place to go to another without the means."
Academic text (1999) -
Wild horses would not keep you from her, were she five times worse than she is. "I don't expect to find her so ill as all that," said Mrs. Mildmay provokingly.
Fiction book (1999) -
My eighteen years enjoy the politeness no end, the talking of important matters, with the proper posture and excellent person, and provokingly and at the same time politely I showed my aunt: I was as polite to the coroner as I was to the monk.
Fiction book (1998) -
He questioned her decision provokingly, hoping to elicit a strong reaction from her.
-
The comedian told a provokingly funny joke that made the audience both laugh and think.
Synonyms
In a way that tries to make people react strongly
In a way that tries to attack or gain advantage over others
In a way that dares someone to respond
Antonyms
How Provocative
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Provokingly comes from the verb provoke, built from Latin parts pro- 'forward' and vocare 'to call', the same root you see in voice. So to act provokingly is like 'calling out' a reaction — doing or saying something to push people to answer, often with annoyance or anger.