Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

instigator

American  
[in-sti-gey-ter] / ˈɪn stɪˌgeɪ tər /
Rarely instigant

noun

  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.

Etymology

Origin of instigator

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

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.

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

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.