as in provoking
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as in promoting
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
John Adams's wife, Abigail, told him that if women were not remembered by the new American government, they would "foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation"
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Recent Examples of fomenting
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Sometimes, the frame is transfixed by haunting, practically subliminal changes fomenting on a subconscious level, as Dua is shaken from within, and the remarkable Matoshi doles out nuggets of recognizable emotion from beneath her rock-hard exterior.
—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Duterte joined Marcos’ ticket to secure a landslide victory in the 2022 national elections, but the two have since become political rivals, fomenting a feud that has thrown the country into political and economic turmoil.
—
Chad De Guzman,
Time,
11 May 2026
The strategy was highly effective, causing power rationing in the capital and fomenting civil chaos.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
But the war that’s threatening global energy supplies, upending geopolitics, fomenting a food crisis and likely to curb global growth long after any ceasefire is the Iran war.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Many cops and union officials blamed de Blasio’s support for Black Lives Matter and other protesters against police brutality for fomenting anti-cop sentiment that culminated in the slayings.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
This Jesse Jackson was a dangerous man, a radical, a demagogue, someone who thrived off fomenting racial division.
—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Chávez himself drew heavily on Fidel Castro’s Cuba in fomenting the ideology, which has ruled over Venezuela since Chávez came to power in a 1998 presidential election.
—
Paul Webster Hare,
The Conversation,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
And in this rote, dutiful steadiness, I was struck by the patient sincerity of it all—and by a sense that these believers were already fomenting, in admittedly small numbers, the kind of unity that Esperanto’s skeptics say the language could never help facilitate.
—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Sometimes, the frame is transfixed by haunting, practically subliminal changes fomenting on a subconscious level, as Dua is shaken from within, and the remarkable Matoshi doles out nuggets of recognizable emotion from beneath her rock-hard exterior.
—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Duterte joined Marcos’ ticket to secure a landslide victory in the 2022 national elections, but the two have since become political rivals, fomenting a feud that has thrown the country into political and economic turmoil.
—
Chad De Guzman,
Time,
11 May 2026
The strategy was highly effective, causing power rationing in the capital and fomenting civil chaos.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
But the war that’s threatening global energy supplies, upending geopolitics, fomenting a food crisis and likely to curb global growth long after any ceasefire is the Iran war.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Many cops and union officials blamed de Blasio’s support for Black Lives Matter and other protesters against police brutality for fomenting anti-cop sentiment that culminated in the slayings.
—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
This Jesse Jackson was a dangerous man, a radical, a demagogue, someone who thrived off fomenting racial division.
—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Chávez himself drew heavily on Fidel Castro’s Cuba in fomenting the ideology, which has ruled over Venezuela since Chávez came to power in a 1998 presidential election.
—
Paul Webster Hare,
The Conversation,
19 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fomenting
Adjective
-
The Best Books of the Year (So Far) Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.
-
Chiarella has come up with an ingenious premise that is as twisted as it is thought-provoking.
Verb
-
Good Chop is dedicated to providing the finest cuts of meat while promoting sustainable practices.
-
The company threw a lavish caviar party at Cannes and in May hosted panels promoting its cinematic tool at Amazon’s AI on the Lot event in Culver City.
Adjective
-
Not an inciting event for troll armadas to threaten the people involved.
-
Does the opening episode need an inciting incident within the first few minutes to draw in audiences?
Verb
-
But a fresh start comes with plenty of new challenges — from rival ranchers and relentless cattle work to the unexpected trials of raising their teenage son, Carter (Finn Little).
-
SpaceX went public in June, raising roughly $75 billion in the largest IPO on record.
Adjective
-
Yerba Mate Tea Yerba mate is a tea traditionally from South America that contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that may help lower inflammatory markers associated with certain types of arthritis, or inflammation and pain of the joint.
-
Normal mice scratched and inflammatory immune cells rushed to the site, increasing swelling.
Adjective
-
More recently, drones have been used to drop incendiary mixtures that ignite apartment buildings and residential blocks.
-
The incendiary comments were roundly criticized on social media but went unaddressed throughout the remainder of the broadcast.
Adjective
-
Digital platforms further amplify provocative behavior, potentially normalizing hate.
-
That can desensitize us to actions that in another context would be seen as deeply provocative.
Adjective
-
The effect is personal, expressive, and quietly subversive, reflecting a growing desire to move beyond labels and toward individuality.
-
The trio join previously announced stars Cynthia Erivo and Ncuti Gatwa in the subversive fairy tale adventure.
Cite this Entry
“Fomenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fomenting. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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