incite
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Related Words
Incite, rouse, provoke, inflame are verbs meaning to goad or inspire an individual or a group to take some action or to express some feeling. Incite and rouse are similar in that, although they can imply in some contexts abrasive or inflammatory arousal of violent or uncontrolled behavior, neither necessarily does so. Incite means simply to induce activity, of whatever kind: incited to greater effort by encouragement; incited to riot. Rouse has an underlying sense of awakening: to rouse the apathetic soldiers to a determination to win; to rouse the inattentive public to an awareness of the danger. Provoke implies a sense of challenge or irritation along with arousal and often suggests a resultant anger or violence: provoked by scathing references to his accomplishments; to provoke a wave of resentment. Inflame, with its root sense to set afire, implies a resultant intensity and passion: to inflame a mob by fiery speeches; He was inflamed to rage by constant frustration.
Other Word Forms
- incitable adjective
- incitant adjective
- incitation noun
- incitement noun
- inciter noun
- incitingly adverb
- reincite verb (used with object)
- unincited adjective
Etymology
Origin of incite
First recorded in 1475–85; from Latin incitāre, from in- in- 2 + citāre “to move repeatedly, set in motion, summon” ( cite 1 )
Explanation
To incite is to cause to act or occur. Violent words can incite violent actions which, in turn, might incite public outcry against violence. Incite comes from a Latin verb meaning "to move into action" and if you incite someone to do something, that is exactly how to describe it. Usually it is used in a negative context. Radical and intolerant teachings can incite hatred in those who listen. And if a government restricts its people too much, it can incite unrest and rebellion in the population.
Vocabulary lists containing incite
Some Tricky Homonyms
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Fahrenheit 451
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Speak
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They incite disputes because we live in a world that rewards arguing with undue power.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
Someone ordered an Irish whiskey and didn’t incite a diplomatic incident.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Madagascar's security forces on Friday said they had taken "strict measures" as they claimed the protesters aimed to "terrorise the population" and "incite looting".
From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025
However, it has been cleared of breaching the BBC's rules on impartiality and being likely to encourage or incite crime.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
Tame by our standards, and as Coach said, it wasn’t likely to incite a religious war or anything since it contained a moral lesson.
From "Winger" by Andrew Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
