different between attract vs provoke

English

Etymology

From Latin attractus, past participle of attrahere (“to draw to, attract”), from ad (“to”) + trahere (“to draw”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?ækt/
• Rhymes: -ækt

Verb

attract (third-person singular simple present attracts, present participle attracting, simple past and past participle attracted)

1. To pull toward without touching.
   • 1713, William Derham, Physico-Theology

     All bodies, and all the parts of bodies, mutually attract themselves, and one another.

2. To arouse interest.

3. To draw by moral, emotional or sexual influence; to engage or fix, as the mind, attention, etc.; to invite or allure.

Synonyms

• allure

Antonyms

• repel

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• attract in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• attract in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• attract at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin pr?voc?re. Doublet of provocate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p???v??k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p???vo?k/
• Rhymes: -??k

Verb

provoke (third-person singular simple present provokes, present participle provoking, simple past and past participle provoked)

1. (transitive) To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
   • Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath.

2. (transitive) To bring about a reaction.
   • 1881, John Burroughs, Pepacton

     To the poet the meaning is what he pleases to make it, what it provokes in his own soul.
3. (obsolete) To appeal.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (bring about a reaction): bring about, discompose, egg on, engender, evoke, grill, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, invoke, rouse, set off, stir up, whip up; see also Thesaurus:incite

Derived terms

• provocation
• provocative

Related terms

• evoke
• invoke
• provocateur
• revoke

Translations