WordWeb Online

1. Causing or tending to cause anger or resentment
   "a provoking delay at the airport";
   - agitative, agitating

1. Call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
   "provoke pity";
   - arouse, elicit, enkindle [literary], kindle, evoke, fire, raise
    
2. Make appear or occur
   "Her behaviour provoked a quarrel between the couple";
   - evoke, call forth, kick up [informal]
    
3. Provide the needed stimulus for
   - stimulate
    
4. Annoy or hinder continually or in many ways
   "This man provokes his female co-workers";
   - harass, hassle [informal], harry, chivy, chivvy, chevy, chevvy [non-standard], beset, plague, molest

See also: provocative

Type of: annoy, bother, cause, chafe, challenge, create, devil, do, engender, get at [informal], get to, gravel [US], irritate, make, nark [Brit, slang], nettle, rag, rile, roil [N. Amer], tick off [informal], vex

Encyclopedia: Provoking