as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
a deliberately inciting comment questioning someone's manhood started the brawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in provoking
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the rock band's failure to show up incited a riot, as the crowd had waited for hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraging
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the demagogue's fiery rant incited the crowd to riot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inciting
Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
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
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
The inciting moment, April explains, was Noelle’s fourth-grade school art show.
—Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
That’s the inciting incident of the new Paramount+ series Little Disasters, based on the Sarah Vaughan novel of the same name.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
That’s a solid dramatic question, but one that might’ve been more productive as an inciting incident, as too much of this low-budget drama shuffles around subjects that demand incisive action in 2025, effectively creating a subtle irony that undermines the film’s own point.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2025
There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
His alleged infidelity became the inciting incident of the series, and Brooks’s sisters rally around her amid the breakup.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
She was imprisoned in Salimgarh Fort (a part of Red Fort) in Delhi by her father for more than 20 years for inciting her brother, Muhammad Akbar, to commit treason.
—Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Egypt outlawed the movement in 2013, accusing it of inciting unrest and undermining state institutions.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The army also accused him of maintaining contact with Hezbollah militants and inciting against Israeli troops and civilians, without elaborating.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Liam Timothy Walsh, 20, of Somerville, Massachusetts was extradited to Connecticut on Tuesday and charged with inciting injury to persons or property, first-degree criminal mischief, unlawful assembly, second-degree breach of peace and first-degree criminal mischief, according to Capt.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
Lawmakers also refused to agree to allow for the prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura, the head of the Freedom party, on charges of inciting hatred.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Charges could include inciting to riot, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
The inciting incident for the new story comes after the principal of the high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, sending the parents into an uproar.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
While one of the inciting events for establishing the Code of Credits happened to be a crowd of producers onstage at the Oscars, the goal never was to exclude anyone from the profession.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
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
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
The inciting moment, April explains, was Noelle’s fourth-grade school art show.
—Ruth Madievsky, The Atlantic, 21 Jan. 2026
That’s the inciting incident of the new Paramount+ series Little Disasters, based on the Sarah Vaughan novel of the same name.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
That’s a solid dramatic question, but one that might’ve been more productive as an inciting incident, as too much of this low-budget drama shuffles around subjects that demand incisive action in 2025, effectively creating a subtle irony that undermines the film’s own point.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2025
There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
His alleged infidelity became the inciting incident of the series, and Brooks’s sisters rally around her amid the breakup.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
He was also suspended from X that year for violating its rules on inciting violence, but had his account reactivated in 2023.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
She was imprisoned in Salimgarh Fort (a part of Red Fort) in Delhi by her father for more than 20 years for inciting her brother, Muhammad Akbar, to commit treason.
—Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Egypt outlawed the movement in 2013, accusing it of inciting unrest and undermining state institutions.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026
The army also accused him of maintaining contact with Hezbollah militants and inciting against Israeli troops and civilians, without elaborating.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2026
Liam Timothy Walsh, 20, of Somerville, Massachusetts was extradited to Connecticut on Tuesday and charged with inciting injury to persons or property, first-degree criminal mischief, unlawful assembly, second-degree breach of peace and first-degree criminal mischief, according to Capt.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
Lawmakers also refused to agree to allow for the prosecution of lower house Speaker Tomio Okamura, the head of the Freedom party, on charges of inciting hatred.
—ABC News, 21 Mar. 2026
Charges could include inciting to riot, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
The inciting incident for the new story comes after the principal of the high school receives a severed human finger in the mail, sending the parents into an uproar.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inciting
Adjective
-
Who gets to tell the story is, to me, one of the most interesting and provocative questions in any dynamic, particularly a family one.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Like Butler, Matsoukas is known for her provocative brand of storytelling and its unique and inherently multicultural point of view.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Christopher Nolan has cemented his status as one of our most consistently original and thought-provoking directors.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 Apr. 2026
-
In essence, Bright Lights, Big City, instead of being emotionally provoking and riveting, is distressingly gray and tedious, enlivened only by Fox’s gifted histrionics.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Former clients described Motta encouraging people to get surgeries, and others discussed one particularly shameless episode in which a large church van, crammed with prospective plaintiffs, intentionally collided with a truck.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Reframe aging as a life stage of capability and purpose rather than decline, encouraging earlier conversations across families, workplaces, and communities.—
Aimee DeCamillo,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At a charged political moment, her relatively sober look seemed intended to keep the focus on POTUS.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
12 Dec. 2025
-
What Happens Next Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inciting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inciting. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
