incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

transitive verb

: to move to action : stir up : spur on : urge on

incitant

in-ˈsī-tᵊnt 

noun

incitement

in-ˈsīt-mənt 

noun

inciter noun

Synonyms

• abet
• brew
• ferment
• foment
• instigate
• pick
• provoke
• raise
• stir (up)
• whip (up)

Choose the Right Synonym for incite

incite, instigate, abet, foment mean to spur to action.

incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating.

inciting a riot

instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention.

instigated a conspiracy

abet implies both assisting and encouraging.

aiding and abetting the enemy

foment implies persistence in goading.

fomenting rebellion

Examples of incite in a Sentence

The news incited widespread fear and paranoia.

the rock band's failure to show up incited a riot, as the crowd had waited for hours

Recent Examples on the Web

Introduced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee under Chairman Brett Guthrie, the proposal has incited swift condemnation from state attorneys general, children’s advocacy organizations and civil society groups. —Anisha Sircar, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025

Vidya Balan has long been a pioneer in Hindi Cinema — or Bollywood as it’s more often called — inciting change in the portrayal of women through her mold-breaking leading roles. —Sunil Sadarangani, Deadline, 20 May 2025

Since October, Lucy Connolly, who used to work with children and is married to a former local politician, has been serving a 31-month sentence for inciting racial hatred because of X (formerly Twitter) posts. —Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025

In case this movie’s denser-than-ever design wasn’t already destined to embolden the laziest of Anderson’s critics, a plot incited by the price of bashable rivets should certainly do the trick. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French inciter, from Latin incitare, from in- + citare to put in motion — more at cite

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for incite

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

incite

verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to move to action : stir up

inciter noun

Medical Definition

incite

transitive verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to bring into being : induce to exist or occur

organisms that readily incited antibody formation

Legal Definition

incite

transitive verb

in·​cite in-ˈsīt 

incited; inciting

: to urge on

incite a riot

incitement noun