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It's time to investigate the true meaning of instigate. Instigate is often used as a synonym of incite (as in "siblings instigating a fight"), but the two words differ slightly in their overall usage. Incite usually stresses an act of stirring something up that one did not necessarily initiate ("the court's decision incited riots"), while instigate implies responsibility for initiating or encouraging someone else's action, and usually suggests dubious or underhanded intent ("he was charged with instigating a conspiracy"). Coming from a form of the Latin verb instigare ("to urge on or provoke"), instigate stepped into English in the 1500s, roughly a century after incite.
Examples of instigate in a Sentence
Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026
This new ceasefire was broken once again on Saturday, with both sides accusing the other of instigating the violence.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 June 2026
Kansas City police are continuing to search for a 22-year-old man suspected of instigating a string of shootings Tuesday night, who has now escaped two standoffs with law enforcement.
—Ilana Arougheti
june 18, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
Little signs of humanity appeared in every direction, quietly defusing what could have become a disaster instigated by fear.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for instigate
Cite this Entry
“Instigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instigate. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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