1
as in to provoke
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the medical breakthrough instigated a whole new field of therapy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to encourage
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the charge that the scene in the movie had instigated teenagers to commit similar acts of vandalism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instigate
There is rarely an organic instigating event that precedes it.
—
Becket Adams, National Review, 26 Jan. 2025
Neymar did not instigate some kind of moral collapse.
—Jack Lang, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
Separate from the divorce proceedings, Pitt also instigated a lawsuit over Château Miraval, a French winery the couple once owned together.
—Mike Ives, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
The fungus lures them out of their webs before instigating an untimely death and then uses the spiders’ corpses to spread its spores.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instigate
Becket Adams, National Review, 26 Jan. 2025
Neymar did not instigate some kind of moral collapse.
—Jack Lang, The Athletic, 18 Jan. 2025
Separate from the divorce proceedings, Pitt also instigated a lawsuit over Château Miraval, a French winery the couple once owned together.
—Mike Ives, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
The fungus lures them out of their webs before instigating an untimely death and then uses the spiders’ corpses to spread its spores.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for instigate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigate
Verb
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The earworm record provokes a sense of longing, one that is uplifting, cathartic and beautiful.—
Lisa Kocay,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Even the revelation that settlement talks have been held has provoked news staffers.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Nope, although Google does encourage all users to switch from passwords and traditional 2FA to the use of passkeys, of course.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
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Officials encourage Carolinians to stay informed through official emergency sources and call 911 to report any immediate threats.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Fraudsters also promote the overstated withholding scheme, encouraging taxpayers to inflate income and withholding on forms like W-2s and 1099s for larger refunds.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
1 Mar. 2025
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But the big reveal, designed to promote President Donald Trump’s new culture of transparency, fell flat.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The jokey, gleefully profane lyrics are stimulating in the moment but then quickly forgotten, like novelty songs in a clever college cabaret.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
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Such a device could perhaps stimulate different parts of the tongue to, say, determine if the brain was processing sensory signals properly.—
Gayoung Lee,
Scientific American,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigate. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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