The phrase "provoke sentiment" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing the act of eliciting emotional responses from an audience or individuals.
Example: "The film was designed to provoke sentiment, leaving viewers in tears by the end."
Alternatives: "evoke emotion" or "stir feelings".
In the catalog, Mr. Miyake offered a reason that fashion excites: "Clothes are of no interest except insofar as they provoke sentiments and reactions in those who wear them," he wrote.
This will not be the first time that soccer has been used here to unite and provoke national sentiment.
It must be felt that the furore has more to do with provoking Muslim sentiment in general rather than Bangladeshis in particular.
The Harambe episode was too edgy for marketers to co-opt, and too dank for memesters looking to provoke predictable sentiments.
Although the treaty was virtually meaningless in military terms, an-Nasir Dawud used it to provoke the sentiments of Syria's citizens and a Friday sermon by a popular preacher at the Umayyad Mosque "reduced the crowd to violent sobbing and tears".
He has given all extremists and nuts all over the world who are ready to commit acts of violence a perfect excuse because he has provoked spiritual sentiments and religious feelings to the point where we don't know how far the ramifications will go".
If it is clear that provoking religious sentiments at this juncture would harm the public interest, then there is no point provoking for the sake of provoking under the banner of the freedom of expression.
This led to strong reactions from SIFAA members R. Sarathkumar, Sathyaraj and Radha Ravi, who called the apology a disgrace to Tamils and opined that his speech never provoked the sentiments of the Kannada people.
In her article, Yuan Hua said Professor Chou had cleverly used articles from the People's Daily to somehow provoke anti-China sentiment.
In Judaea and Alexandria, Gaius' contemptuous disregard of Jewish sentiment provoked near rebellion.
