1
as in excitement
something that arouses a strong response from another
the rabble-rousing speech was seen by many as an incitation to ethnic violence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
a mild heart attack was all the incitation he needed to adopt an exercise regimen and a healthy diet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incitation
But one chat room over, the server was filled with racist memes, sexist and ableist slurs, antisemitic messages, and incitations of violence against women and people of color.
—
Ash Parrish, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2024
Between these voices of reason and incitation, between these two seemingly different men, lie 22 years of power and five American presidents.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2022
Bolsonaro will still have to stand trial for accusations of slander and incitation to rape.
—Mauricio Savarese, Fox News, 12 Sep. 2018
Ash Parrish, The Verge, 18 Mar. 2024
Between these voices of reason and incitation, between these two seemingly different men, lie 22 years of power and five American presidents.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2022
Bolsonaro will still have to stand trial for accusations of slander and incitation to rape.
—Mauricio Savarese, Fox News, 12 Sep. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incitation
Noun
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Soldiers on the frontlines have told CNN of their excitement when their unit gets mentioned.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
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The league would later shift to a no-entry fee policy, which added to the excitement.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Instead, Russia has relied heavily on financial incentives, aggressive advertising, prison recruitment and coercive mobilization.—
Elizaveta Gaufman,
The Conversation,
21 Feb. 2026
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But the Texans don’t have much incentive to trade Mills after Stroud’s inconsistent play during the playoffs (passing for 462 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions over two games).—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Her wildly optimistic logic is that fiscal stimulus will spark growth, and that the private sector will raise long-stagnant wages, thereby increasing tax revenues.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
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Smart polymers already exist and can respond to such stimuli, altering their color or shape and then returning to their original state.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That impetus brought Lance Hammer back out of the woodwork, a gauntlet thrown to himself to think through problematic contradictions involving the quite different — and often sparring — human verticals of capability, autonomy, and decline.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
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That, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer said, was the impetus for his 2002 album The Rising.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Jordan wrapped his arms around Wallace from behind and spoke closely into Wallace's ear in a brief speech of encouragement.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Looking for inspirational lessons from elsewhere in the surrounding region doesn’t yield much encouragement.—
Alaa Shahine Salha,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Heldman and Nicholson’s lucid, intelligent script thus assigns characters very different, more nuanced motivations from those we are used to in iterations of this story.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
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All of this raises questions about their motivations, competence and conflicts of interests, which should be squarely prohibited under the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Long takes and static formal frames compel us to stand down stimulation-seeking tendencies.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
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According to a news release, the system can offer red light therapy, molecular hydrogen inhalation, micro-impact vibration and sound therapy with vagus nerve stimulation.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incitation. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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