instigator
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It’s not clear who was the instigator when, several months ago, Amanda Ponce got into an altercation with a fellow resident at a Boyle Heights homeless housing site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
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
When asked by Bloomberg TV about reporting that he was an instigator in the probe, Pulte said the Justice Department and its investigation into Powell is outside of his purview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
"It potentially acts as an instigator of early Alzheimer's pathology."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 22, 2025
Terryl also felt that Kathie was accusing her of being an instigator.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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
He was described as "one of the main instigators".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024
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
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.
