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Provocative vs Irritative - What's the difference?

provocative | irritative |

As adjectives the difference between provocative and irritative

is that provocative is serving or tending to elicit a strong, often negative sentiment in another person; exasperating while irritative is serving to excite or irritate.

As a noun provocative

is .

provocative

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Serving or tending to elicit a strong, often negative sentiment in another person; exasperating.
  • Serving or tending to excite, stimulate or arouse sexual interest.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • * 1723 , Charles Walker, Memoirs of the Life of Sally Salisbury :
  • She used by way of Provocative , to read the wanton Verses of her (Paramour) in the day time [...].
    ----

    irritative

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • serving to excite or irritate
  • accompanied with, or produced by, increased action or irritation
  • an irritative fever
    (Webster 1913) ----