instigator

American  

[in-sti-gey-ter] / ˈɪn stɪˌgeɪ tər /

Rarely instigant

noun

• instigators
  plural

1. a person or thing that provokes or incites an action or course: Plays to be performed at the festival focus on a theme of how youth can be the instigators of positive change.

   Peaceful protesters outnumbered the violent instigators, and they kept the demonstration from becoming a riot.

   Plays to be performed at the festival focus on a theme of how youth can be the instigators of positive change.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• instigators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of instigator

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin instigātor, equivalent to instigāt(us) + -or -or ² ( def. ); see instigate ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

instigator instigators

According to their coach, Romain Haguenauer, this change of music was the result of behind-the-scenes manipulation -- the instigator allegedly an American judge, a compatriot of Chock and Bates.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

He is desperate not to be the instigator, or author, of another blast of extraordinary turbulence in British politics.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026

"It potentially acts as an instigator of early Alzheimer's pathology."

From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2025

But whether it is an unexpected jump in claims costs or lower premiums that are the instigator, the upshot is that auto-insurance underwriting might now be past its peak profitability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2025

“Did you know that your employer, M. Ratchett, was the principal instigator in that affair?”

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

Loyalist commanders estimate there were half-a-dozen coup instigators and perhaps 40 eager co-conspirators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

Intervention by the governor and community mediation efforts restored a fragile peace to the area, but the instigators of the violence remain at large.

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

Claire Chase, who has been one of the most influential instigators of the Pauline Oliveros revival, was this year’s Ojai Festival energizer bunny.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025

Because the companies are folding to these baseless accusations, the instigators of these hunts have become emboldened, he said.

From BBC ● Jan. 11, 2025

In 2012, several further studies corroborated these initial findings, strengthening the links between these variants of mental illness and family histories and deepening questions about their etiology, epidemiology, triggers, and instigators.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• ringleader