Definitions for instigate
ˈɪn stɪˌgeɪtin·sti·gate

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

1. incite, instigate, set off, stir upverb

   provoke or stir up

   "incite a riot"; "set off great unrest among the people"

2. prompt, inspire, instigateverb

   serve as the inciting cause of

   "She prompted me to call my relatives"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. instigateverb

   To goad or urge forward; to set on; to provoke; to incite.

   He hath only instigated his blackest agents to the very extent of their malignity. -Bp. Warburton.

2. Etymology: From the instigatus, past participle of instigare, from prefix in- in + *, akin to stinguere. Akin to stechen, stick.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To INSTIGATEverb

   To urge to ill; to provoke or incite to a crime.

   Etymology: instigo, Lat. instiguer, French.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. instigate

   Instigate typically means to incite, provoke, encourage, or initiate a particular action, behavior, or event. It often suggests an intention to cause trouble or disturbance.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Instigateverb

   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

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Instigate

   in′sti-gāt, v.t. to urge on: to set on: to foment.—ns. Instigā′tion, the act of inciting: impulse, esp. to evil; In′stigator, an inciter, generally in a bad sense. [L. instigāre, -ātum.]

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce instigate?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say instigate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of instigate in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of instigate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of instigate in a Sentence

1. Hanan Yadin:

   I am not sure that anyone can stop this completely, this is a warfare game, psychological warfare – to instill fear and intimidation among the targets. It is also an effective and cheap tool to instigate and to recruit.

2. Drew Thompson:

   Honestly, this isn't a good time for Xi Jinping to provoke a military conflict right before the 20th party congress. It's in Xi Jinping's interest to manage this rationally and not instigate a crisis on top of all the other crises Xi Jinping has to deal with.

3. Rodrigo Catril:

   Markets appear to be coming around to the Fed narrative that a burst in inflation is only likely to be temporary, a temporary spike in prices should not instigate a removal of stimulatory policies from central banks.

4. Hun Sen:

   Politicians should not use this to instigate things that would lead the country into unrest.

5. Clifford Villanueva Villalon:

   The purpose of writing is not to commend the flaws and imperfections in life. We do not write to encourage enmity or to instigate evil. We want to promote writing not as self-expression, but to minimize life's imperfections.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=instigate
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Instigate
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=instigate
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/instigate
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=instigate
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=instigate