as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
piquing remarks that were said mainly to get a rise out of the other guests at the party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in bothering
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
her seat companion piqued her by repeatedly poking her in the ribs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in provoking
to rouse to strong feeling or action
their sarcastic comments piqued him to respond in kind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in priding
to think highly of (oneself)
she piques herself on her considerable musical abilities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piquing
Adjective
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By the end, some of the provocative moves with the rattling bone piles will likely fuel criticism from the usual close-minded detractors.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
12 Apr. 2025 -
And while the notion that Lennon and Ono came to understand America through its television programming is provocative, too frequently the collage of grim news and glib ads leans toward the tritely ironic.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
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The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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This will deepen the divide between the global North and South on issues of race and cultural difference, straining the West’s diplomatic relations with countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America while provoking broader resentment toward Western countries seen as perpetuating racial hierarchies.—
Matias Spektor,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
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Yet when North Korea invaded South Korea, the United States intervened forcefully, pushing up to the Chinese border and provoking a ferocious Chinese counterattack.—
Michael Beckley,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The ceremony came at a charged moment, coinciding with Columbia University canceling its graduation ceremony (and largely closing off its campus).—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2024
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Of course, genocide is a charged and redolent term, recalling the systematic precision of the Holocaust and the society-wide butchery of the Rwandan genocide.—
Kristina Hook,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2022
Verb
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Thursday’s swings also hit the bond market, which had been showing encouraging signals earlier in the day that stress may be easing.—
Time,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
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At the time, Meta issued similar guidance, releasing an update that solved the breach and encouraging users to move to the latest version of WhatsApp.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But at the time, the theory that providing children with stimulating activities would help them more than rote learning and academic drills was revolutionary.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 Jan. 2025
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For only the second time in at least a decade, top leaders last month made stimulating spending and domestic demand their top priority in 2025.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune Asia,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In my view, this is one of the more exciting uses of a foldable display in PCs because people like the portability of 13-inch laptops, but not necessarily the actual size of the display.—
Anshel Sag,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The tools offer exciting new clues to how people living in the area thousands of years ago may have lived and interacted.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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When handled, these treefrogs secrete a sticky toxin as a defense, which can be irritating to mucous membranes of people or pets who make contact with them.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
8 Apr. 2025
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All three ingredients offer significant benefits for skin brightening and skin texture, but also tend to be irritating to people with sensitive skin.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Piquing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piquing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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