Meaning of “provocative” in the English Dictionary

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"provocative" in English

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provocativeadjective

uk ​ /prəˈvɒk.ə.tɪv/ us ​ /prəˈvɑː.kə.t̬ɪv/

provocative adjective (SEXUAL)

› If behaviour or clothing is provocative, it is intended to cause sexual desire:

She slowly leaned forward in a provocative way.
provocatively
adverb uk ​ /prəˈvɒk.ə.tɪv.li/ us ​ /prəˈvɑː.kə.t̬ɪv.li/

›

She dresses very provocatively (= intending to cause sexual interest).

(Definition of “provocative” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"provocative" in American English

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provocativeadjective

us ​ /prəˈvɑk·ə·t̬ɪv/

› intended to cause a reaction, esp. anger or annoyance, or to force you to think more carefully about something:

a provocative speech
provocative advertisements

› If behavior or clothing is provocative, it is likely to cause sexual desire.

provocatively
adverb us ​ /prəˈvɑk·ə·t̬ɪv·li/

›

He can speak provocatively on any subject.

(Definition of “provocative” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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