instigate

English

Etymology

From the Latin īnstīgātus, past participle of īnstīgāre (“to instigate”), from prefix in- (“in”) + *stigare, akin to stinguere (“push, goad”). Compare German stechen (“to prick”), English stick.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪnstəɡeɪt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

instigate (third-person singular simple present instigates, present participle instigating, simple past and past participle instigated)

1. (transitive) To bring about by urging or encouraging.

   Synonyms: foment, provoke

   to instigate a riot

   to instigate a change

   • 2017, Desa Markovic, Working with Sexual Issues in Psychotherapy:

     If the man perceives that his partner has arousal or orgasmic difficulties, this is likely to influence his desire to instigate sexual activity and/or his enjoyment and pleasure in being sexual with his partner.

2. (transitive) To goad or urge (a person) forward, especially to wicked actions.

   Synonyms: animate, encourage, impel, incite, provoke, spur, stimulate, tempt, urge

   Antonyms: halt, prevent, stop

   to instigate someone to a crime

   • 1678, Robert Barclay, An Apology for the True Christian Divinity:

     he might instigate them to swear against the law of God

   • 1738–1741, William Warburton, The Divine Legation of Moses […], volumes (please specify |volume=I, II.1, or II.2), London: […] Fletcher Gyles, […], →OCLC:

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

Derived terms

• instigatable
• instigation
• instigator

 

Translations

to bring about by urging or encouraging

• Ukrainian: провокува́ти impf (provokuváty, literally “to provoke”), спровокува́ти pf (sprovokuváty, literally “to provoke”)

to goad or urge a person forward

• Arabic: حَرَّضَ (ḥarraḍa), دَفَعَ (ar) (dafaʕa)
• Armenian: սադրել (hy) (sadrel)
• Azerbaijani: təhrik etmək, rəvac vermək
• Bulgarian: подстрекавам (bg) (podstrekavam), предизвиквам (bg) (predizvikvam), провокирам (bg) (provokiram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 煽動／煽动 (zh) (shāndòng), 指使 (zh) (zhǐshǐ)

• Dutch: aanstichten (nl)
• Finnish: yllyttää (fi)
• French: inciter (fr), susciter (fr)
• German: anstiften (de), hetzen (de), anstacheln (de), anzetteln (de)
• Hungarian: felbujt (hu), provokál (hu), uszít (hu)
• Japanese: 煽動する (せんどうする, sendō suru)
• Korean: 부추기다 (ko) (buchugida)
• Latin: instigō
• Maori: whakatū, whakakīkī, whakaara
• Ottoman Turkish: دورتمك (dürtmek), كوروكلمك (körüklemek)
• Polish: podburzać (pl) impf, podburzyć pf, judzić (pl) impf, podjudzać impf, podjudzić pf
• Portuguese: instigar (pt)
• Russian: подстрека́ть (ru) (podstrekátʹ), подбива́ть (ru) (podbivátʹ), подгова́ривать (ru) (podgovárivatʹ)
• Slovak: podnecovať, nabádať, navádzať, naviesť, podnietiť
• Swedish: pressa fram, anstifta (sv)
• Ukrainian: підбу́рювати impf (pidbúrjuvaty), підбу́рити pf (pidbúryty)

Further reading

• “instigate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “instigate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Esperanto

Adverb

instigate

1. present adverbial passive participle of instigi

Latin

Verb

īnstīgāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of īnstīgō

Spanish

Verb

instigate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of instigar combined with te