Adjacent Words

Instigate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IN'STIGATE, v.t.[L. instigo; in and stigo, inusit; Gr. to prick.]
To incite; to set on; to provoke; to urge; used chiefly or wholly in an ill sense; as, to instigate one to evil; to instigate to a crime.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: provoke or stir up; "incite a riot"; "set off great unrest among the people" [syn: incite, instigate, set off, stir up]
2: serve as the inciting cause of; "She prompted me to call my relatives" [syn: prompt, inspire, instigate]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (-gated; -gating) Etymology: Latin instigatus, past participle of instigare — more at stick Date: 1542 to goad or urge forward ; provoke Synonyms: see incite • instigation noun • instigative adjective • instigator noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 bring about by incitement or persuasion; provoke (who instigated the inquiry?). 2 (usu. foll. by to) urge on, incite (a person etc.) to esp. an evil act. Derivatives: instigation n. instigative adj. instigator n. Etymology: L instigare instigat-

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Instigate In"sti*gate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Instigated; p. pr. & vb. n. Instigating.] [L. instigatus, p. p. of instigare to instigate; pref. in- in + a root akin to G. stechen to prick, E. stick. See Stick.] To goad or urge forward; to set on; to provoke; to incite; -- used chiefly with reference to evil actions; as to instigate one to a crime. He hath only instigated his blackest agents to the very extent of their malignity. --Bp. Warburton. Syn: To stimulate; urge; spur; provoke; tempt; incite; impel; encourage; animate.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(instigates, instigating, instigated) Someone who instigates an event causes it to happen. Jenkinson instigated a refurbishment of the old gallery... = initiate VERB: V n • instigation The talks are taking place at the instigation of Germany... N-UNCOUNT: usu at/on N with poss

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. [In a bad sense.] Incite, prompt, impel, move, urge, provoke, stimulate, rouse, actuate, persuade, influence, encourage, set on, prevail upon, stir up, spur on.

Moby Thesaurus

abet, activate, actuate, agitate, arouse, blow the coals, bring, bring on, call forth, contrive, draw down, draw on, effect, elicit, evoke, excite, fan, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, fire, foment, get, goad, heat, heat up, hint, impassion, incense, incite, induce, inflame, insinuate, inspire, lead, motivate, nettle, obtain, pique, plan, plot, procure, provoke, put up to, raise, rally, scheme, set, set on, sic on, stir the embers, stir up, suggest, superinduce, tickle, urge, whet, whip up, work up