1
as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the medical breakthrough instigated a whole new field of therapy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraged
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the charge that the scene in the movie had instigated teenagers to commit similar acts of vandalism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of instigated
In the 1970s, the world of the watch was undergoing a revolution that even those who instigated it could scarcely understand.
—
David Szondy
march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
The arrest arose out of an altercation that Peters had instigated last month between two women at an Airbnb, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Grynsztejn instigated Marshall’s survey herself, in a hands-on move not typical of most museum directors.
—News Desk, Artforum, 17 Mar. 2026
The attacks have instigated not just flight restrictions, but closures of swaths of airspace.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Playing off the conceptual revolution instigated by Duchamp (via Piero Manzoni and Maurizio Cattelan), Johnson’s tasty-looking treat lightens the mood and lets a viewer know to expect the unexpected in the galleries to follow.
—Benjamin Lima
special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
Jayden Nelson shines in his Austin FC debut New signing Jayden Nelson instigated most of that positive play.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
In this moment, there’s a lot of conversations that are being surfaced at the table that strangely, were instigated around immigration policy and policing.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
O’Hara is a police chief pushed past his limits, struggling to quell violence instigated by federal law enforcement.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
David Szondy
march 28, New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
The arrest arose out of an altercation that Peters had instigated last month between two women at an Airbnb, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Grynsztejn instigated Marshall’s survey herself, in a hands-on move not typical of most museum directors.
—News Desk, Artforum, 17 Mar. 2026
The attacks have instigated not just flight restrictions, but closures of swaths of airspace.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Playing off the conceptual revolution instigated by Duchamp (via Piero Manzoni and Maurizio Cattelan), Johnson’s tasty-looking treat lightens the mood and lets a viewer know to expect the unexpected in the galleries to follow.
—Benjamin Lima
special Contributor, Dallas Morning News, 24 Feb. 2026
Jayden Nelson shines in his Austin FC debut New signing Jayden Nelson instigated most of that positive play.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
In this moment, there’s a lot of conversations that are being surfaced at the table that strangely, were instigated around immigration policy and policing.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026
O’Hara is a police chief pushed past his limits, struggling to quell violence instigated by federal law enforcement.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigated
Verb
-
But the bill and others like it have provoked a series of constitutional concerns.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Solomon Islands is one of China's closest partners in the region having struck a security agreement – the details have not been made public – with Beijing in 2022 after switching recognition from Taiwan to China in 2019, an act that provoked rioting in the capital, Honiara, in 2021.—
Didi Kirsten Tatlow,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Some players encouraged the 49ers to investigate, but Lynch noted that it was not broached by anyone who joined the team in the past few weeks since free agency opened, including wide receiver Mike Evans.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Students should be encouraged to think historically, Zavala said, and to approach larger themes of colonization, erasure, power and to reflect on the way movements are shaped and the contradictions that occur within them.—
Kristy Hutchings,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Matches without goals triggered texts to Garden requesting immediate Wyscout Zoom sessions.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
After six days of marching under the barrel of an assault rifle, Caldwell triggered his group’s escape by pushing one of their captors off a cliff.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The induced impact of our cast and crew spending along with the workers along the supply chain in turn stimulated even more economic growth.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Olson eventually found a substance that did not seem to be hallucinogenic but potently stimulated growth in the cortical neurons of rodents.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigated. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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