Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not provoked or prompted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Not provoked; not incited.
  • Not proceeding from provocation or just cause: as, an unprovoked attack.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Happening without provocation or motivation

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective occurring without motivation or provocation

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- +‎ provoked

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Examples

  • Not the best comment but an off the cuff retort to someone insulting him is rather different to someone using the term unprovoked against someone else.

    New Statesman 2009

  • The U.S. embassy in Sana'a condemned what it called the "unprovoked and unjustified attack on youth protesters."

    UN: 50 Dead in Taiz Crackdown 2011

  • The U.S. embassy in Sana'a condemned what it called the "unprovoked and unjustified attack on youth protesters."

    UN: 50 Dead in Taiz Crackdown 2011

  • ROTH: Mrs. Clinton also criticized Chairman Arafat for the upsurge in violence and what she called unprovoked violence in the Middle East.

    CNN Transcript - Breaking News: Violence Erupts in West Bank and Gaza; USS Cole Attacked in Yemen - October 12, 2000 2000

  • Western Ave. Both said they sustained concussions and facial injuries in what they called an unprovoked attack in February 2010.

    chicagotribune.com - News 2011

  • In an email released by Mend, the group said it had launched an "oil war" on the government in response to what it described as unprovoked aerial attacks on its bases in the Niger Delta.

    Kinshasa On The Potomac 2008

  • Most interesting to me however, was his defense that he may not "agree with a particular tactic a group uses", just as he calls unprovoked rocket attacks self-defense.

    Stop The ACLU 2009

  • Most interesting to me however, was his defense that he may not "agree with a particular tactic a group uses", just as he calls unprovoked rocket attacks self-defense.

    The Jawa Report 2009

  • Most interesting to me however, was his defense that he may not "agree with a particular tactic a group uses", just as he calls unprovoked rocket attacks self-defense.

    Lockergnome 2009

  • Pakistan's army reacted angrily, calling the "unprovoked" raid on two Pakistani border posts an "irresponsible act."

    Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Apparent NATO Attack Tom Wright 2011

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