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
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
Khamenei has repeatedly blamed Israel and the United States for fomenting the protests, which broke out in response to deteriorating economic conditions.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2026
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest in the country.
—Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Both head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talked Tuesday about fomenting competition in the quarterback room this offseason.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
Iranian leaders have accused America and Israel of fomenting the demonstrations, which began in late December over soaring prices and the abrupt collapse of Iran’s national currency.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
The real issues were that Venezuela has great oil resources and has been fomenting instability by offering a hemispheric base for China, Russia and Iran.
—John Brummett, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The Hong Kong government appears to be wary of fomenting discontent that could snowball into mass demonstrations like in 2019, when widespread anti-establishment protests consumed the city.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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
Khamenei has repeatedly blamed Israel and the United States for fomenting the protests, which broke out in response to deteriorating economic conditions.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 18 Jan. 2026
Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of fomenting unrest in the country.
—Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Both head coach Kevin O'Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah talked Tuesday about fomenting competition in the quarterback room this offseason.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
Iranian leaders have accused America and Israel of fomenting the demonstrations, which began in late December over soaring prices and the abrupt collapse of Iran’s national currency.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
The real issues were that Venezuela has great oil resources and has been fomenting instability by offering a hemispheric base for China, Russia and Iran.
—John Brummett, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2026
The Hong Kong government appears to be wary of fomenting discontent that could snowball into mass demonstrations like in 2019, when widespread anti-establishment protests consumed the city.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fomenting
Adjective
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Collections and designers put their best foot forward, delivering high-caliber collections — some were uplifting, others were thought-provoking, most were both.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
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But the arithmetic exercise is thought-provoking, nonetheless.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But ever since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, the companies have been accused of promoting anticompetitive behaviors.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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One Russian dancer posted a video of someone removing a Marty Supreme poster to reveal a poster promoting a performance of Swan Lake.—
Chloe Angyal,
Time,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Atwood told Wertheim there were several ways into the story, but an inciting event came in 1981, just after former President Ronald Reagan was elected for the office.—
Will Croxton,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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That incident, which inspired the inciting moment of season two’s premiere, led Lee to think about how different generations approach love and relationships.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There are dangers that the entire global supply chain could be upended, raising costs for businesses and their customers.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Many young people in China complain that the cost of raising children is too high and that job prospects are too low.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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In a 2018 study, Kunutsor and his colleagues showed that Finns who frequently sauna have lower levels of inflammatory markers.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2026
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As a potent growth signal, theoretical risks include unwanted cell proliferation or inflammatory responses when injected into areas not needing wound repair.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Given these conventions, the markings visible on the bomb have led to speculation that the JDAM shown in the images could be configured with an incendiary-type payload rather than a standard high-explosive filling.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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The explosion was caused by some sort of incendiary device, according to Frode Larsen, leader of the Oslo police joint unit for investigation and intelligence.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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An architect by training, Censori, 31, has been an enigmatic and largely silent fixture in West’s orbit for years, making her statements mostly through provocative performance art that often incorporates public nudity.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
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Moshfegh, who pairs regressive politics with a wild, provocative humor, is an obvious influence on Dimes Square novels.—
Malavika Kannan,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Shelley grew up knowing exactly what happened to women who refused their prescribed role, and hid her most subversive arguments inside a story that looked, on its surface, like a cautionary tale about science.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
6 Mar. 2026
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But one weapon that’s always available to the oppressed is the subversive joke.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fomenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fomenting. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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