1
as in provoked
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the medical breakthrough instigated a whole new field of therapy
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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
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Recent Examples of instigated
Green’s attorneys had previously said that their client was waiting for food at the taqueria when an unknown man instigated a fight.
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Devan Patel, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
Not for Elliss, but Giants tight end Theo Johnson who instigated a fight on the sideline and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 2 Dec. 2025
During the war, Zelensky has fired a slew of senior Ukrainian officials over corruption allegations, and his government has instigated anti-corruption measures, including the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.
—Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
Grid congestion has also instigated discussions about how to procure power in Europe, according to CBRE's European data center research lead Kevin Restivo.
—Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 27 Nov. 2025
Greene said her decision was motivated by the desire to spare her district from a contentious and divisive primary challenge instigated by the president.
—Deputy News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
The issue that instigated the shutdown—the American affordability crisis—is the same reason many Senators found a long-term shutdown untenable.
—Alanna McCargo, Time, 17 Nov. 2025
Facing some quickly crumbling opposition from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prop 50 was instigated as a response to Trump’s desire to retain GOP control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms via surgical gerrymandering in Red States like Texas.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
To better protect younger iPhone users, too, Apple has instigated a new Communication Safety and Web content filter system that will automatically limit adult website access on child accounts for ages 13-17 (although the specific ages do vary by region).
—PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigated
Verb
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Visit our website What is striking in retrospect is how little resistance Roosevelt’s framing provoked.—
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This, in turn, reinforced Webster’s own initial claim about his fight with the MPD cop—that Rathbun had provoked the encounter by striking him in the head, then lied about it to counter Webster’s righteous assertion of self-defense, resulting in his wrongful conviction.—
Verb
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The city’s emergency overflow shelter is available to adults over 18, with capacity for dogs in kennels, but the office encouraged people who need a warm place to sleep to seek primary shelters as a first option.—
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During the end of the latter track, Lauper encouraged audience members to sing along and brought Salt-n-Pepa onstage to join in.—
Verb
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The torrential downpours on Thursday triggered both a flood advisory and flash flood warnings across the city and suburbs.—
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The agreement resolves an antitrust review by the attorney general’s office triggered by the state’s ‘notice of material change’ statute, according to Tong’s office.—
Verb
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Many contests maintain that the frogs can be stimulated humanely to jump, such as someone blowing on them or clapping their hands behind them.—
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They can also be stimulated by the absence of male toxicity.—
Cite this Entry
“Instigated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigated. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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