Synonyms of instigate
10 similar words · 3 opposite words
Another word for instigate is encourage. Other synonyms of instigate are provoke, stimulate, urge, foment and spur. The opposite of instigate is stop.
Synonyms and similar words for instigate
verbTo bring about by urging or encouraging.
verbTo goad or urge (a person) forward, especially to wicked actions.
- animate
- encourageTo mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
- impelTo urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.
- inciteTo instigate a specific incident.
- spurTo urge or encourage to action, or to a more vigorous pursuit of an object.
- stimulateTo encourage into action.
- temptTo provoke something; to court.
- urgeTo put mental pressure on; to ply with motives, arguments, persuasion, or importunity.
Opposite of instigate
Meaning of instigate
- verb To bring about by urging or encouraging.
- verb To goad or urge (a person) forward, especially to wicked actions.
instigate in other languages
Questions about synonyms of instigate
- What is another word for instigate?
- Instigate has 10 synonyms on Word.ws, such as encourage, provoke, stimulate, urge, foment, spur, impel and tempt.
- What is the opposite of instigate?
- The opposite of instigate is stop.
- What does instigate mean?
- Instigate means to bring about by urging or encouraging.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: instigate (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this page: “Synonyms of instigate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/instigate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.