as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
she is no stranger to controversy, having penned several instigative and inflammatory books attacking liberals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigative
Adjective
-
Palihapitiya’s perspective, while provocative, reflects a growing skepticism among some technologists about the durability of traditional intellectual property laws in the face of generative AI.—
Paulo Carvão,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025 -
The movie was a hit among the critical community when it was released, with most noting how Melancholia departed from some of von Trier’s earlier, more provocative work.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
For context, geomagnetic storms are caused by fiery eruptions from the sun's surface that send charged particles zipping toward our planet.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
20 May 2025
-
The ceremony came at a charged moment, coinciding with Columbia University canceling its graduation ceremony (and largely closing off its campus).—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2024
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.
Cite this Entry
“Instigative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigative. Accessed 24 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share