Thought-provoking means making people stop and think seriously. A thought-provoking talk.
It is high praise for a book and faint praise for a film. Thought-provoking is what a reviewer says when a work is more interesting than enjoyable.
1adjectivethought-provokingMaking people stop and think seriously.
“The thought-provoking documentary changed nobody's mind and stayed with everybody.”
thought-provoking is a quality.