Evocative

adjective

Inducing certain thoughts, recollections, or sensations, especially those related to strong emotions

Usage

You're going about your business, not thinking about anything in particular, when suddenly you get hit by a random attack of nostalgia. The trigger could be anything, but it's likely something that you associate with a very emotional memory. Maybe it's an old t-shirt that reminds you of your high school self, a song that brings you back to your wedding night, or the aroma of a well-thumbed dictionary that you connect with your early days of word-enthusiasm. How can inanimate objects dredge such powerful sensations in us? Our brains must attach deep emotions to them, associations that act as triggers to bring what was buried back to light. These things are evocative solely because our minds make them so.

To be evocative is to have a tendency to conjure in someone's mind memories, feelings, and thoughts about something else. This adjective is used when there is a deep connection between an outside "something" and some idea or image that's firmly entrenched somewhere in the wiring of your brain. Something that's evocative acts as a stimulus, bringing latent impressions to the forefront of your attention, even if only for a moment. The effect of something evocative is like an electric charge: it zips into your head and jolts something dormant back to life.

So what kinds of things actually are evocative, and what are the kinds of thoughts and feelings they bring up? The answer to the first question is, well, anything, potentially. Physical sensations like sounds and smells are commonly evocative, but things like words, activities, and even ordinary objects can fit this label too. The things these stimuli remind us of are also pretty varied, but they usually have some significance, good or bad, to the person in whose mind they exist. Many times this means things like foundational memories, difficult questions, and complex or distinct feelings. What's brought up by something evocative might not always be as definite as a clear-cut memory, either. For example, you might find something like walking through an autumn forest evocative of something as vague as the inevitability of change. In this way, just about anything can be evocative - the only requirement is that it have a strong association with something in the back of your head.

Example: Chris found the blooming roses evocative of the garden around his childhood home.

Example: The sight of those menacing thorns was evocative of the stinging he'd felt the first time he tried to grab one.

Example: The evocative scent of the roses brought up pleasant memories in many of the people who passed by.

Origin

Like a friendly shout, something evocative calls out to what's inside, coaxing it to the surface. That could help to explain why evocative comes from some of the same ancestors as voice. You can see it in the presence of voc, a common component of many words related to speech and talking (including vocal, equivocate, advocate, and others). If you want to go all the way back (at least as far back as our knowledge goes), you can source these words to the Proto-Indo-European root wekw-, which means "to communicate vocally." In particular, this root is the basis of the Latin vocare, "to sound, call, or shout." By combining this verb with a variation of the prefix ex-, for "outer from," Latin speakers would form evocare, which means "to vocally summon," "to bring out," or "to call to." From this would eventually come the Latin adjective evocativus, meaning "related to calling on." This would be the most direct ancestor of the modern evocative, the first uses of which are attributed to the mid-seventeenth century.

Derivative Words

Evocable: This adjective characterizes something (usually a thought or memory) as able to be called up.

Example: We tried everything to cheer him up, hoping that happiness was still evocable in him.

Evocation: This noun usually refers to the act of bringing forth a particular memory or thought. It can also, however, mean the act of summoning a spirit or other occult entity. In both cases, you're technically drawing something out.

Example: The sculpture was praised for its evocation of life in ancient Athens.

Example: We held a séance as an evocation of the ghost that supposedly haunted the house.

Evocatively: This adverb describes an action, adjective, or other adverb as somehow calling forth deep memories.

Example: The ballerinas danced evocatively in a way that made us think back fondly on being anywhere except the ballet.

Example: Reading an evocatively descriptive poem brought to mind impressions of both joy and sadness.

Evocativeness: This noun refers to the quality or habit of bringing up images and emotions.

Example: Gina's singing voice had an evocativeness that made listeners think about hard times in their own lives.

Evoke: Evoke is a verb that most commonly refers to the act of calling forth an idea, memory, or behavior. It can also suggest a spiritual calling or influence, often one that is religious or supernatural. Evoke is conjugated as evokes, evoking, and evoked.

Example: Sometimes, even the most seemingly insignificant things can evoke a strong reaction.

Example: For some, the sight of a school bus evokes memories of childhood.

Example: The old hockey stick sat in my garage for a decade, evoking thoughts of my playing days whenever I saw it.

Example: The priest's sermon evoked the wrath of a vengeful god in the congregation.

Similar Words

Evocative looks and sounds a lot like a slightly more common word, provocative. Both words suggest that something acts as a stimulus, but the results are a little different. While something evocative calls forth memories and mental images, something provocative rouses people to action (and often to fear or anger). Evocative is related to evoke in the same way that provocative is related to provoke, and all share a common ancestor in the Latin vocare ("to sound, call, or shout").

In Literature

From D.E. Stevenson's Listening Valley:

Most people, looking back at their childhood, see it as a misty country half-forgotten or only to be remembered through an evocative sound or scent, but some episodes of those short years remain clear and brightly coloured like a landscape seen through the wrong end of a telescope.

In this quote, Stevenson uses evocative to describe certain sensory impressions as having the ability to call forth emotions and reminiscences of childhood.

Mnemonic

An evocative voice you've heard before