goaded

VERB

egg on, incite

Synonyms

STRONGEST

coerce harass hound prod provoke tease

STRONG

animate annoy arouse bully drive encourage excite exhort force goose impel inspirit instigate irritate lash move needle press prick prompt propel push rowel sic sound spark spur stimulate sting thrust trigger urge whip worry

WEAK

fire up key up put up to turn on work up

Antonyms

STRONGEST

leave alone

STRONG

aid block bore calm check deaden depress discourage dissuade halt lull please praise prevent pull quiet repress soothe stop suppress surrender

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And the message-board-born concept of a “lolcow,” a gullible user who can be goaded into making a fool of themselves on a regular basis, definitely predated the music video.

From Salon • Feb. 16, 2026

After Reds captain Virgil van Dijk scored a 92nd-minute winner in their 3-2 victory, Simeone reacted after he appeared to be goaded by a small number of home fans.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025

Claiming to work on “a communication strategy for reaching out to law enforcement,” Williams then goaded AP3 members into bragging about their police connections.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

It’s six minutes of deep-bottomed polytonal funk — topped with synthesizer jabs and horn lines, goaded by a hard-rock guitar riff — that veers between disenchanted verses and a conditionally optimistic chorus.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2024

Reynie was hoping his words would infuriate Mr. Curtain into sleep, but Mr. Curtain had prepared himself and was not so easily goaded.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart