From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprovocativepro‧voc‧a‧tive /prəˈvɒkətɪv $ -ˈvɑː-/ ●○○ adjective 1 ANGRYprovocative behaviour, remarks etc are intended to make people angry or upset, or to cause a lot of discussionprovocative comment/remark/statement The minister’s provocative remarks were widely reported in the press. a provocative act by a terrorist group She was accused of being deliberately provocative.2 SEXYprovocative clothes, movements, pictures etc are intended to make someone sexually excited provocative images of young girls —provocatively adverb
Examples from the Corpus
provocative• Many, of course, are carefully staged, clearly presented, and very provocative.• These were a survival from his army days and, therefore, some way from being sexually provocative.• It was detailed, provocative and refreshingly easy to read.• a provocative bikini• The magazine is full of pictures of partially dressed women in provocative poses.• The book's provocative statements have led to it being banned in some schools.• A fascinating and provocative timetable spanning nearly 200 million years has emerged.deliberately provocative• Roman, as always, was being arrogant, deliberately provocative.provocative images• Nor does he worry about offending people with his provocative images.• There is a lot of provocative images and statements that are made that we want people to challenge. 