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
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Sign up here » Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.—
Namara Smith,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
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The ways the siblings cope with their versions of reality are quite different, quite haunting and quite thought-provoking.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Tom Holland and Zendaya made promoting their new movie look like a casual date moment.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
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The push is being led by tech giant Huawei through the Ultra HD Video Alliance, which is promoting its own HDR Vivid standard as an alternative to the Digital Cinema Initiatives certification framework that has governed cinema projection globally for decades.—
Marcus Lim,
Variety,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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What was the setting and the all-important inciting incident?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The inciting moment comes when Austin and Ashley witness a violent argument between Josh and Lindsay.—
Ryan Brennan
April 16,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Those insights are raising important questions about how these tools should be used and where their limitations lie.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
11 June 2026
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Could the depletion prompt a market panic, raising prices even higher?—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Different genes for different cytokines, growth factors or other proteins could be swapped in to target specific diseases of the ocular surface, potentially extending the approach beyond corneal wounds to chronic inflammatory conditions.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
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The technology could eventually treat corneal injuries, severe dry eye disease and other inflammatory disorders of the ocular surface, though it has not yet been tested in humans.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Adjective
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That’s when Mace gave an incendiary presentation on the House floor.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
9 June 2026
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The Maine Senate candidate’s supporters shrugged off the Nazi tattoo and the mountain of old incendiary Reddit posts, drawn to his charisma and ready to believe in his redemption arc.—
Julia Terruso,
Time,
8 June 2026
Adjective
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Francesco Vezzoli has been making provocative and genre-breaking art—encompassing film and video, embroidery, sculpture, and photography; and often playing with notions of celebrity, glamour, and spectacle—for more than three decades.—
Corey Seymour,
Vogue,
9 Dec. 2025
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The provocative, genre-defying horror flick boasts unhinged gore, a delightfully dark sense of humor, an Oscar-worthy Amy Madigan as the creepiest aunt ever, and a crowd-pleasing finale.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Over the years, the film has developed cult classic status for its subversive tone (credited to screenwriter James Gunn) and nostalgic early-2000s aesthetic.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 June 2026
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Ahead, find the five dark June nail colors experts recommend painting on for a subversive summer manicure.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fomenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fomenting. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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