v. 25B6; verb
the plan has provoked outrage : AROUSE, produce, evoke, cause, give rise to, occasion, call forth, elicit, induce, excite, spark off, touch off, kindle, generate, engender, instigate, result in, lead to, bring on, precipitate, prompt, trigger; poetic/literary beget.
he was provoked into replying : GOAD, spur, prick, sting, prod, egg on, incite, rouse, stir, move, stimulate, motivate, excite, inflame, work/fire up, impel.
he wouldn't be provoked : ANNOY, anger, incense, enrage, irritate, infuriate, exasperate, madden, nettle, get/take a rise out of, ruffle, ruffle someone's feathers, make someone's hackles rise; harass, harry, plague, molest; tease, taunt, torment; Brit. rub up the wrong way; informal peeve, aggravate, hassle, miff, rile, needle, get, bug, hack off, make someone's blood boil, get under someone's skin, get in someone's hair, get/put someone's back up, get up someone's nose, get someone's goat, get across someone; Brit. informal wind up, nark; N. Amer. informal rankle, ride, gravel.
allay, deter, pacify, appease.