instigation

1 something that arouses a strong response from another without instigation of any kind, the man suddenly threw a punch Synonyms excitement, incitation, incitement, provocationRelated Words encouragement, galvanization, goad, incentive, inducement, jog, prod, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulus; enticement, lure; induction, inspiration, motivation; aggravation, annoyance, bother, exasperation, frustration, hassle, headache, irritant, nuisance, peeve, pestNear Antonyms subduing

2 something that arouses action or activity the promise of windfall profits was all the instigation they needed to invest in the scheme Synonyms boost, encouragement, goad, impetus, incentive, incitation, incitement, impulse, momentum, motivation, provocation, spur, stimulant, stimulus, yeastRelated Words inducement, invitation; antecedent, cause, consideration, grounds, motive, occasion, reason; catalyst, catalyzer, fuel, sparkAntonyms counterincentive, disincentive