instigates

verb

Definition of instigatesnext
present tense third-person singular of instigate
1
as in provokes
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 encourages
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

Thesaurus Entries Near instigates

instigated

instigates

instigating

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Instigates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigates. Accessed 30 Jan. 2023.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on instigates

Nglish: Translation of instigates for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of instigates for Arabic Speakers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of adapt

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

The Great British Vocabulary Quiz

  • union jack speech bubble
  • Named after Sir Robert Peel, what are British police called?
Spell It

Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games