How to Use provocative in a Sentence

provocative

adjective
  • It was one of his more provocative suggestions.
  • She was wearing a very provocative outfit.
  • The clown has a provocative past.
    — Time, 30 Oct. 2025
  • And the goal is to be provocative and push boundaries.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The hotel's buzz is due to its provocative mix of old and new.
    — Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Rude wanted to show me the most provocative street art in the city.
    — Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2023
  • Still, the ideas that set this game in motion are provocative.
    — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 25 June 2021
  • Let’s get provocative and find out who the best player is this week.
    — Brody Miller, New York Times, 19 June 2026
  • So, what does the provocative British artist have to do with all of this?
    — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
  • And that makes this provocative but uneasy film leave a sour taste in the mouth.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2023
  • The provocative headline no doubt helped.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Humor in the film is provocative and is there to break concepts.
    — Emiliano Granada, Variety, 28 Mar. 2022
  • Will Vladimir Putin view that as provocative, as more of a threat?
    — CBS News, 3 July 2022
  • More provocative are her portraits of the women on the scene.
    — Jamie Hood, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2021
  • Maybe there just isn’t a bigger and more provocative story here.
    — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 June 2022
  • That is the most genuine thing about the movie, which is also provocative.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Brooke Shields in a provocative Calvin Klein ad.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
  • And not all of his merchandise is provocative.
    — Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
  • Sometimes bold, creative, and provocative is the whole point.
    — Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • These setups are bizarre, provocative, and often hit-or-miss.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2025
  • He was known for his provocative diss tracks on the platform, some of which amassed millions of views.
    — Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
  • The discussions about a threat of war is provocative in and of itself.
    — Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2022
  • The trick at the moment is to be firm without being provocative.
    — Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, 26 Apr. 2021
  • The film is provocative, but not subversive.
    — Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
  • The most provocative thread in this story may be Goldman’s own.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 26 May 2026
  • That’s a provocative statement.
    — Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The artist’s small paintings are as dense and provocative as his large ones — tiny worlds full of ideograms, like tarot cards.
    — Cate McQuaid, BostonGlobe.com, 9 May 2023
  • Some of my last few films can be considered somehow provocative.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 11 June 2026
  • This fragrance is easily the most provocative cologne on the list.
    — Grooming Playbook, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 May 2022
  • As an odd sort of ethnography, though, the study tells a provocative story.
    — Michael Pollan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provocative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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