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 instigating

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 instigating

Contemporary Examples of instigating

Nor do I believe that was what the president was instigating.
The South Sudan Clashes Are No Tribal War
Valentino Deng
December 30, 2013
Instigating military involvement without considering these issues is nothing more than a short-sighted action.
A Plea for Peace in Syria
Majid Rafizadeh
September 26, 2013
Australian brand Solid Gold Bomb was caught hawking rape-themed T-shirts on Amazon's UK site, instigating public horror.
Rape Slogan T-Shirts Spark Outrage
Misty White Sidell
March 4, 2013
Bakkar and his fellow Salafists were blamed by some for instigating the chaos, though they condemned the violence from the start.
Nader Bakkar, Salafist Spokeman, on the Embassy Riots and Bridge Building in a Post–Arab Spring Egypt
Mike Giglio
September 25, 2012
But he said he later saw a police report accusing him of instigating the violence and organizing a riot outside the courtroom.
Chess Champ Garry Kasparov: ‘They Were Trying to Break My Leg’
Eli Lake
August 17, 2012

Historical Examples of instigating

The question is, whether he be guilty as joining with him, or instigating of him?
State Trials, Political and Social
Various
Stevens was charged with instigating riots and barn-burnings.
Dixie After the War
Myrta Lockett Avary
The bards have ever been foremost in instigating insurrections in Wales.
Both Sides the Border
G. A. Henty
For a long time Cetchwayo had been instigating rebellion and preparing for war.
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 1 (of 6)
Louis Creswicke
His merit in that eminence was, by instigating a tyrant to injustice, to provoke a people to rebellion.
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886
Ministry of Education

British Dictionary definitions for instigating

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 instigating

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.