1
as in excitement
something that arouses a strong response from another
without instigation of any kind, the man suddenly threw a punch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impetus
something that arouses action or activity
the promise of windfall profits was all the instigation they needed to invest in the scheme
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instigation
Had the country remained coalesced around the accurate original understanding of January 6—that American citizens had been lied to about the 2020 election by the president and had attempted to sack the Capitol partly at his instigation—Webster might have been forced into a reckoning.
—
Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Three other people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – were arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, the UK's Counter Terrorism Policing office said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Three additional suspects -- two men and a woman -- were also taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said on Thursday.
—Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have also been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism in connection with the attack, police said.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Somehow, through its instigation of global disaster, AI can generally be framed as a moral phenomenon.
—Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
At the instigation of president Charles de Gaulle, new towns began to emerge in France at the end of the 1960s as a counter to haphazard urban growth.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Three other people – two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s – were arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, the UK's Counter Terrorism Policing office said.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Three additional suspects -- two men and a woman -- were also taken into custody and arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, police said on Thursday.
—Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2025
Two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s have also been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism in connection with the attack, police said.
—Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Somehow, through its instigation of global disaster, AI can generally be framed as a moral phenomenon.
—Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
At the instigation of president Charles de Gaulle, new towns began to emerge in France at the end of the 1960s as a counter to haphazard urban growth.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigation
Noun
-
There’s a peculiar excitement about snake hunting that’s hard to describe.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
After all, progressive candidates have long generated excitement without winning electoral victories.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with a noted socialist streak, has proposed a tax increase on New Yorkers making more than $1 million, which critics have cited as the impetus for New York’s wealthiest fleeing the state, and taking their money (and tax revenue) with them.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The impetus was the death of [Fela Kuti drummer] Tony Allen at the very beginning of COVID.—
Jonathan Cohen,
SPIN,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
February 19 – March 20 Soft encouragement wraps around your rough edges.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Dozens of friends and supporters held a march for peace near the Coral Springs Museum of Art, gathering with words of encouragement and calls to condemn the violence.—
Steve Maugeri,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The core problem, attorney fee incentives, was left untouched.—
Tom Manzo,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The incentive structure is based on multiples of five cases from the Criminal Trial Support Unit’s unassigned defendants’ list, where bar advocates can take on five, 10, or 15 such cases for a possible maximum of $7,500 in incentive bonuses — 15 cases at $500 each.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To check whether progesterone was the trigger, the researchers removed the female from the barrier tank and replaced her with conical plastic tubes coated with various chemical stimuli, sliding them into the small holes of the wall divider.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In general, weight loss means less load on your bones, which reduces the stimulus to create new bone cells.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Most characters aren’t changing, nor are their motivations to change clear to them or novel to us.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
From animal welfare to renewable energy and garment worker wages, the need for change is often well documented, and the tools are there, but the motivation is lacking.—
Bella Webb,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While activities that engage the brain could make sitting for long periods of time less detrimental than, say, watching TV, mental stimulation provides different protection for the brain than physical activity, making both things important, said Oye-Somefun.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
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The new analysis found that Black participants responded slightly better than people of other racial or ethnic groups to ovarian stimulation drugs, and their eggs produced high-quality embryos that could be used for implantation.—
Sarah Elizabeth Richards,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigation. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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