provocative（dampen）

TwonewVocabularywordsoftheday!!4/17/22 Provocative~Cataclysm 1.Provocative~adj.Ifsomethingis provocative,itprovokesareaction.A provocative bookmightgetpeopletalkingaboutacontroversialidea.A provocative statement,suchas"Ihatebabies,"willgetanotherkindofreaction.Theaction,thought,orfeelingisoftenadesiredone,calledforthonpurpose.Infact, provocative isoftenusedtodescribeactionsorwaysofdressingthatcausesexualfeelings.But provocative thingscanalsocallforthsomethingunwanted:"Shewasangeredbythe provocative remarks."ThisadjectivewasborrowedfromFrench provocatif,2.Cataclysm~n.Thehurricanebatteredthecoast,causingthecitytoflood,andtensofthousandsofpeoplewerestrandedwithoutfoodorwater.Whenaneventcausesgreatsuffering,wecallita cataclysm.Cataclysm comesfromtheGreekword kataklysmos,whichmeans"adelugeorflood."Sosayingsomethingwas“adisasterofcataclysmicproportions”isparticularlyaptwhenyou'retalkingaboutatsunami.Still,peopleusetheword cataclysmic todescribenon-waterydisasters,too,likestockmarketcrashes,painfulbreakups,andfailedgrammartests. 1...(a)WhenJaniceworetheshortdresstothefootballgame,manymentookheractionasaprovocativegesture. (b)Whentheeditorreadtheprovocativearticlewhichurgedpeopletodestroygovernmentbuildings,heinsistedthewriterredotheentirepiece. (c)Manyfamouswritershavewrittenprovocativenovels,thathavemadethemverysuccessful.2...(a)Afterthehurricane,thecataclysmicearthquakefurtherdisruptedlifeontheAsiancontinent. (b)TheterroristattackonSeptember11,2001wasacataclysmofdestruction. (c)Thevirusthatsweptthroughtheworldwasacataclysmthattouchedeveryfamilywithineachcountry.