instigate

[in-sti-geyt]

See more synonyms for instigate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·sti·gat·ed, in·sti·gat·ing.

to cause by incitement; foment: to instigate a quarrel.
to urge, provoke, or incite to some action or course: to instigate the people to revolt.

Origin of instigate

1535–45; < Latin instīgātus past participle of instīgāre to goad on, impel, equivalent to in- in-² + -stīg- goad, prick (akin to stigma, stick²) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsin·sti·gat·ing·ly, adverbin·sti·ga·tive, adjectivein·sti·ga·tor, in·sti·gant

[in-sti-guhnt] /ˈɪn stɪ gənt/, nounun·in·sti·gat·ed, adjectiveun·in·sti·ga·tive, adjective

Synonyms for instigate

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. arouse, provoke. 2. induce, stimulate, encourage, push; initiate, start.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for instigate

plot, abet, prompt, initiate, incite, inflame, kindle, spur, foment, urge, scheme, raise, hint, actuate, needle, move, insinuate, goad, impel, start

Examples from the Web for instigate

Contemporary Examples of instigate

The liberated soul does not cease to act, to think, to create, to instigate revolutionary flows.
On Torture, Chuck Johnson & Sondheim
James Poulos
December 13, 2014
Republicans will continue to avoid a grand bargain and instigate crises.
No Matter How Crazy Washington Is, Americans Can’t Stop Shopping
Daniel Gross
March 13, 2013
As such, the U.A.E. is not a bad place to instigate change in the region.
Global Women’s Group Makes a Move
Jimmy So
September 20, 2011
And he is at a stage in his life now where he can instigate projects.
Christopher Plummer's Depths
Lorenza Muñoz
June 2, 2011
He's always trying to instigate and stuff like that, and my friends back home don't do that.
DJ Pauly D Sounds Off
Marlow Stern
March 23, 2011

Historical Examples of instigate

To instigate, incite, provoke, to urge on: from the Anglo-Saxon eggion.
The Sailor's Word-Book
William Henry Smyth
How does abet differ from incite and instigate as to the time of the action?
English Synonyms and Antonyms
James Champlin Fernald
I have let you recruit criminals and instigate riots while you live in my mansion.
The Saracen: Land of the Infidel
Robert Shea
So many favors from heaven were calculated to instigate the malice of hell.
Early Western Travels 1748-1846, v. 27
Various
What might instigate him to this devilish act, I am not able to conjecture.
The Diary of John Evelyn, Volume II (of 2)
John Evelyn

British Dictionary definitions for instigate

instigate

verb (tr)

to bring about, as by incitement or urgingto instigate rebellion
to urge on to some drastic or inadvisable action

Derived Formsinstigatingly, adverbinstigation, nouninstigative, adjectiveinstigator, noun

Word Origin for instigate

C16: from Latin instīgāre to stimulate, incite; compare Greek stizein to prick

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for instigate

1540s, back-formation from instigation or else from Latin instigatus, past participle of instigare "to urge on, incite" (see instigation). Related: Instigated; instigates; instigating.