provocative
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provocative
In a way that is intentionally meant to provoke a reaction such as anger, disagreement, or discussion. It can be perceived as challenging or inflammatory.
Seine provokante Frage brachte den Redner kurz aus dem Konzept.
His provocative question briefly threw the speaker off track.
'Provokant' (provocative) belongs to the word family of 'provozieren' (to provoke) and 'die Provokation' (provocation). All these words share the basic meaning of challenging or provoking someone.
Er versucht immer, mit seinen Kommentaren zu provozieren.
He always tries to provoke people with his comments.
'Provokant' (provocative) can be used as an adjective before a noun, as part of the predicate, or as an adverb to describe an action.
Das ist eine sehr provokante Aussage.
That is a very provocative statement.
Common nouns described as 'provokant' (provocative) include 'Frage' (question), 'Aussage' (statement), 'These' (thesis), 'Verhalten' (behavior), 'Plakat' (poster), or 'Kunstwerk' (work of art).
Der Künstler ist für seine provokanten Installationen bekannt.
The artist is known for his provocative installations.
offensive
Offensiv and provokant can describe a challenging public statement. Offensiv mainly emphasizes the attacking or confrontational manner, while provokant additionally suggests an intention to provoke anger, disagreement, or discussion. Choose provokant when this intended reaction is important.
Der Politiker formulierte seine Kritik provokant, um eine Diskussion auszulösen.
The politician expressed his criticism provocatively in order to provoke a discussion.
Der Politiker formulierte seine Kritik offensiv und griff die andere Partei direkt an.
The politician expressed his criticism in a confrontational way and directly attacked the other party.
