Causing or tending to cause anger or resentment:
— A provoking delay at the airport.

synonyms: agitating, agitative.

Roget 898: hating etc. v.; abhorrent; averse from etc. (disliking) 867; set against.    bitter etc. (acrimonious) 895; implacable etc. (revengeful) 919.    unloved, unbeloved, unlamented, undeplored, unmourned^†, uncared for, unendeared^†, un-valued; disliked etc. 867.    crossed in love, forsaken, rejected, lovelorn, jilted.    obnoxious, hateful, odious, abominable, repulsive, offensive, shocking; disgusting etc. (disagreeable) 830; reprehensible.    invidious, spiteful; malicious etc. 907.    insulting, irritating, provoking.    [Mutual hate] at daggers drawn; not on speaking terms etc. (enmity) 889; at loggerheads.    ... show more

Roget 830: causing pain, hurting etc. v.; hurtful etc. (bad) 649; painful; dolorific^†, dolorous; unpleasant; unpleasing, displeasing; disagreeable, unpalatable, bitter, distasteful; uninviting; unwelcome; undesirable, undesired; obnoxious; unacceptable, unpopular, thankless.    unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable.    distressing; afflicting, afflictive; joyless, cheerless, comfortless; dismal, disheartening; depressing, depressive; dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous; woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable; sad, affecting, touching, pathetic.    irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling; unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious; troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome; plaguing, plaguy^†; awkward.    importunate; teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking.    intolerable, insufferable, insupportable; unbearable, unendurable; past bearing; not to be borne, not to be endured; more than flesh and blood can bear; enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot.    shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing; dreadful, fearful, frightful; thrilling, tremendous, dire; heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening; harrowing, rending.    odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent; horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying; offensive.    nauseous, nauseating; disgusting, sickening, revolting; nasty; loathsome, loathful^†; fulsome; vile etc. (bad) 649; hideous etc. 846.    sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic; cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing; envenomed; catheretic^†, pyrotic [Med.].    ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical; desolating, withering; burdensome, onerous, oppressive; cumbrous, cumbersome.    ... show more