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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigative
Adjective
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One of the official accounts, @GovPressOffice, has seen nearly 1 billion impressions on X since those first provocative posts in June, per Newsom's campaign.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025 -
But Bugonia’s provocative premise doesn’t yield a sci-fi thriller.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What Happens Next Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Instigative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigative. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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