triggering 1 of 2

adjective

as in provoking

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triggering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of trigger
as in activating
to cause to function mold triggers my allergies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of triggering
Verb
Driven by artificial intelligence demand, memory chips are in short supply, pushing prices steadily higher and triggering explosive profit growth for Micron. — CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Officials are still investigating the exact cause, though preliminary assessments suggest an ice avalanche may have blocked a river upstream in Tibet, triggering the sudden outburst flood. — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 However, if a person tries to inject the drug, naloxone blocks buprenorphine’s opioid effects, triggering withdrawal in a person with opioid dependence. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 The area is also home to large-scale industrial agriculture, with the resulting effluents triggering oxygen depletion and massive fish death annually. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026 The warmer temperatures are melting and thus destabilizing many of the 60,000 glaciers there, triggering these kinds of avalanches. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 These events can increase global average surface temperatures and alter the weather globally, including triggering extreme weather events worldwide. — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026 The Treasury’s intervention helped boost risky bets, triggering an upswing in crypto prices. — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Redistricting battle spread to numerous states Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting effort has been among the most litigated nationally, triggering about a dozen lawsuits over the past year. — David A. Lieb, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for triggering
  1. provoking
  2. activating
  3. inflammatory
  4. sparking
  5. explosive
  6. driving
  7. incendiary
  8. generating
Adjective
  • The Best Books of the Year (So Far) Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.
    — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 24 June 2026
  • Chiarella has come up with an ingenious premise that is as twisted as it is thought-provoking.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • This can be done by activating a population called Q neurons in a region of the hypothalamus.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The researchers produced biochar by carbonizing mixed food waste at 752°F and then activating it with potassium hydroxide at temperatures between 1,112°F and 1,472°F.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of activating
Adjective
  • Prosecutors said the witness was not intending to be inflammatory and asked that the jury be instructed to dismiss the statements from Heilbrun on her religion.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States and made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America's 51st state.
    — PAUL WISEMAN, Arkansas Online, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of inflammatory
Verb
  • Sophie has created a distinctive and original comedy, striking a chord and sparking debate with audiences across the country.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Federal abandonment of kudzu left the plant to spread along the unmanaged margins of the region, sparking exaggerated fears about its unchecked growth.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sparking
Adjective
  • Driven by artificial intelligence demand, memory chips are in short supply, pushing prices steadily higher and triggering explosive profit growth for Micron.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The pair of explosive devices were found Saturday in the boy’s home in the Orcutt area and safely recovered, sheriff’s officials said in a statement Wednesday.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of explosive
Verb
  • The duo bicker, both in person and over the phone, as their uneasy dynamic proves to be the show’s driving force yet again.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • And with the war in Iran already driving up energy and transportation costs, businesses have less room to absorb another hit.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of driving
Adjective
  • There was some misinformation, but no generative AI to create it at scale, and no algorithms to amplify incendiary content.
    — Larry Magid, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Cleveland Fire Department said that its investigation into the fire determined the cause incendiary and labeled it an arson.
    — Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of incendiary
Verb
  • When generating text, large language models pick each next word from a set of plausible candidates.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The uneven nature seen by ALMA is likely the result of massive convective movements in the star, hot plasma rising through the star and generating shockwaves that erupt in the star's atmosphere, creating bright and hot regions.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of generating

Browse Nearby Words

trigger-happy
triggering
triggerman
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Cite this Entry

“Triggering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/triggering. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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