Unprovoked: meaning, definitions and examples

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unprovoked

 

[ ʌnprəˈvəʊkt ]

Adjective
Context #1 | Adjective

behavior

Not provoked or caused by anything else; without any apparent reason or motive.

Synonyms

baseless, groundless, undeserved, unjustified, unwarranted

Examples of usage

  • His unprovoked aggression towards the other team led to a fight on the field.
  • She was shocked by the unprovoked criticism she received from her coworker.
  • The soldier was disciplined for his unprovoked attack on civilians.
  • The dog's unprovoked barking scared the neighbors.
  • The unprovoked shooting left the community in fear.

Translations

Translations of the word "unprovoked" in other languages:

🇵🇹 não provocado

🇮🇳 अकारण

🇩🇪 unprovoziert

🇮🇩 tanpa provokasi

🇺🇦 непровокований

🇵🇱 nieprowokowany

🇯🇵 挑発されていない

🇫🇷 non provoqué

🇪🇸 no provocado

🇹🇷 kışkırtılmamış

🇰🇷 도발되지 않은

🇸🇦 غير مبرر

🇨🇿 nevyprovokovaný

🇸🇰 nevyprovokovaný

🇨🇳 无缘无故的

🇸🇮 neizzvan

🇮🇸 óprovoskaður

🇰🇿 арандатылмаған

🇬🇪 გამოუწვეველი

🇦🇿 təxribat edilməmiş

🇲🇽 no provocado

Etymology

The word 'unprovoked' originated from the combination of the prefix 'un-' meaning 'not' and the past participle of the verb 'provoke'. It first appeared in the English language in the mid-17th century. The concept of being unprovoked has been a part of human behavior since ancient times, with references in various historical texts and writings. The word continues to be used in modern language to describe actions or behaviors that occur without any apparent cause or stimulus.

See also: provocateur, provocation, provocative, provocatively, provoke, provoker, provoking, provokingly.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #24,683, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.