as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
an artist who deliberately creates instigating works of art that are sure to arouse controversy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in provoking
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the medical breakthrough instigated a whole new field of therapy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraging
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the charge that the scene in the movie had instigated teenagers to commit similar acts of vandalism
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigating
Adjective
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Trump, on the other hand, has managed to single-handedly achieve results, with just a few provocative words, that have long been the dream of populists around the world seeking to reclaim power from globalists running our Western nations.—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
19 Jan. 2025 -
Sign up for the Race/Related Newsletter Join a deep and provocative exploration of race, identity and society with New York Times journalists.—
Erica L. Green,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This will deepen the divide between the global North and South on issues of race and cultural difference, straining the West’s diplomatic relations with countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America while provoking broader resentment toward Western countries seen as perpetuating racial hierarchies.—
Matias Spektor,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
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In 2008, the United States suggested that Georgia and Ukraine might eventually join the alliance but offered no concrete path to membership, thus provoking Russia without effectively deterring it.—
Michael Beckley,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately, current leadership isn’t fostering a new narrative or encouraging positive change.—
Jennifer Guzman,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Jan. 2025
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Of course, there are many who believe the RTO mandates are actually a ruse for reducing headcount by encouraging employees to quit.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Of course, genocide is a charged and redolent term, recalling the systematic precision of the Holocaust and the society-wide butchery of the Rwandan genocide.—
Kristina Hook,
Foreign Affairs,
28 July 2022
Verb
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Meanwhile Russia is promoting drone awareness in children in other ways, down to children’s cartoons in which characters use their videogame skills to pilot drones delivering toys.—
David Hambling,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
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Each film is an immersive experience, taking viewers behind the scenes and under the surface of the sea, revealing the dangers these marine environments face, promoting ocean literacy and championing change.—
Luisa Zargani,
WWD,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But at the time, the theory that providing children with stimulating activities would help them more than rote learning and academic drills was revolutionary.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 Jan. 2025
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For only the second time in at least a decade, top leaders last month made stimulating spending and domestic demand their top priority in 2025.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune Asia,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The year also began with a strong El Niño event, which occurs when the ocean in the Eastern Pacific releases large amounts of heat to the atmosphere, raising global temperatures.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
24 Dec. 2024
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Sinema spent around $8,000 on travel expenses in the Boston area in the days surrounding the marathon this spring, but has reported raising just one dollar since March, according to CREW’s complaint.—
Laura Gersony,
The Arizona Republic,
24 Dec. 2024
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Thesaurus Entries Near instigating
Cite this Entry
“Instigating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigating. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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