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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigative
Adjective
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If the storytelling were tighter and more successfully focused on its more sociologically provocative elements, Detective Hole could have settled into the overstuffed genre’s top tier rather than taking a place in the acceptable middle.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026 -
But this crop of youthful, intentionally provocative antisemites is novel in some ways.—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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At a charged political moment, her relatively sober look seemed intended to keep the focus on POTUS.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
12 Dec. 2025
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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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Cite this Entry
“Instigative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigative. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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