EVOKE : 1. to call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.): to evoke a memory. 2. to elicit or draw forth: His comment evoked protests from the shocked listeners. 3. to call up; cause to appear; summon: to evoke a spirit from the dead. 4. to produce or suggest through artistry and imagination a vivid impression of reality: a short passage that manages to evoke the smells, colors, sounds, and shapes of that metropolis. PROVOKE : 1. to anger, enrage, exasperate, or vex. 2. to stir up, arouse, or call forth (feelings, desires, or activity): The mishap provoked a hearty laugh. 3. to incite or stimulate (a person, animal, etc.) to action. 4. to give rise to, induce, or bring about: What could have provoked such an incident? 5. Obsolete . to summon. ******************************************************************************************** You can see above the situations where they mean the same. However, there are big differences between the two words in some contexts. In general, Provoke has a negative connotation. It is used when something/someone incites feelings or actions in something/someone else through (generally) negative actions or words. Evoke is neutral. Provoke can also take a person as an object. e.g. He provoked me. But we never see "He Evoked me" being used. Another difference is that while evoke is passive, as in you can evoke feelings in you without any interference, Provoke is more active and results in a reaction. i.e. sth/smone provokes feelings in you by doing sth. ********************************************************************************************