1
as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the medical breakthrough instigated a whole new field of therapy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraged
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the charge that the scene in the movie had instigated teenagers to commit similar acts of vandalism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instigated
The demonstrations have been primarily instigated by farmers, agricultural contractors and road haulage operators, who are upset with the government’s response to the spike in fuel prices since the onset of the Iran war.
—
Michael Considine, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
No angry, in-your-face, Twitter-like battles were instigated.
—Aaron Everitt, STAT, 10 Apr. 2026
Police have said Lil Tjay instigated a confrontation with Offset and his entourage in the lead-up to the gunfire.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Monday was far from the first time there were moves to get Lively and Baldoni to solve the December 2024 instigated legal matter without the drama of a trial.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
The best example of a meaningful boycott is the one instigated by Black citizens against the Montgomery bus system.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
In the 1970s, the world of the watch was undergoing a revolution that even those who instigated it could scarcely understand.
—David Szondy
march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
The arrest arose out of an altercation that Peters had instigated last month between two women at an Airbnb, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Grynsztejn instigated Marshall’s survey herself, in a hands-on move not typical of most museum directors.
—News Desk, Artforum, 17 Mar. 2026
Michael Considine, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
No angry, in-your-face, Twitter-like battles were instigated.
—Aaron Everitt, STAT, 10 Apr. 2026
Police have said Lil Tjay instigated a confrontation with Offset and his entourage in the lead-up to the gunfire.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026
Monday was far from the first time there were moves to get Lively and Baldoni to solve the December 2024 instigated legal matter without the drama of a trial.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Apr. 2026
The best example of a meaningful boycott is the one instigated by Black citizens against the Montgomery bus system.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026
In the 1970s, the world of the watch was undergoing a revolution that even those who instigated it could scarcely understand.
—David Szondy
march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
The arrest arose out of an altercation that Peters had instigated last month between two women at an Airbnb, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Grynsztejn instigated Marshall’s survey herself, in a hands-on move not typical of most museum directors.
—News Desk, Artforum, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigated
Verb
-
An argument over a handgun that a man brought to a Fort Worth gender reveal party provoked an exchange of gunfire that injured five people including the suspect, a detective wrote in an arrest warrant affidavit.—
Amy McDaniel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Apr. 2026
-
When outliers such as Jeff Sessions and Chris Christie straggled into his camp, their betrayal provoked mockery and outrage.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But a close reading of the filing encouraged certain inferences.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The city says residents are encouraged to report feral hog sightings, but says animal services is unable to trap or remove them.—
Briseida Holguin,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In Carrollton in 2024, leaking natural gas entered a sewer system and triggered a home explosion that killed a man.—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
That has alarmed free-speech advocates and triggered federal and state-filed antitrust lawsuits, including one that the Colorado Attorney General’s office signed on to.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When people spend long periods in activities that require very little mental effort, those pathways may not be stimulated in the same way.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The induced impact of our cast and crew spending along with the workers along the supply chain in turn stimulated even more economic growth.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigated. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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