'nonprovocative' is formed in Modern English by adding the prefix 'non-' to the adjective 'provocative'. 'non-' originates from Latin 'non', meaning 'not'. 'provocative' comes from the verb 'provoke' plus the adjectival suffix '-ative'.

'provocative' ultimately comes from Latin 'provocativus' (from 'provocare' = 'pro-' "forward" + 'vocare' "to call"); it passed into Old French as 'provocatif' and later entered Middle/Modern English as 'provocative'. The negative formation 'non-' + 'provocative' is a modern English compounding.

The root 'provoke' originally meant 'to call forth' or 'challenge'; over time 'provocative' came to mean 'tending to incite or arouse (emotion, especially anger)'. 'Nonprovocative' therefore developed to mean 'not likely to incite or arouse such reactions'.