1
as in to provoke
to bring (something volatile or intense) into being
the rock band's failure to show up incited a riot, as the crowd had waited for hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to encourage
to rouse to strong feeling or action
the demagogue's fiery rant incited the crowd to riot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incite
The creep of generative AI into music and other creative industries has incited backlash from those who worry about the devaluation of their human work, as many AI developers have been known to scrape data from the internet without human creators’ knowledge or consent.
—
Natalie Kainz, NBC news, 3 July 2025
Meanwhile, a lot remained unclear about the status of Iran’s nuclear program, which incited the Israeli attack.
—David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
In some ways, the boy’s arrest is the inciting incident in the series.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 20 June 2025
Anything helps the cause, and if more artists, record labels, concert promoters, and industry leaders unite, the impact will be bigger and stronger, and can potentially strike a chord and incite actual change regarding the current immigration policies.
—Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for incite
Natalie Kainz, NBC news, 3 July 2025
Meanwhile, a lot remained unclear about the status of Iran’s nuclear program, which incited the Israeli attack.
—David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
In some ways, the boy’s arrest is the inciting incident in the series.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 20 June 2025
Anything helps the cause, and if more artists, record labels, concert promoters, and industry leaders unite, the impact will be bigger and stronger, and can potentially strike a chord and incite actual change regarding the current immigration policies.
—Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for incite
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incite
Verb
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Don't run away or climb a tree, which may provoke a chase.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
8 July 2025
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Run adversarial simulations, employ red teams, and commission third-party evaluations that deliberately try to provoke harmful behaviors.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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The editorial also criticized health benefit eligibility after eight years of service — a policy many cities use to encourage continuity and long-term commitment.—
Josh Levy,
Sun Sentinel,
12 July 2025
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Their main message is to encourage couples to actively consider the decision instead of following the norm.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Doing so could stimulate economic growth, and would be warmly welcomed by the White House and investors.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
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Examples include flashing notifications that make your phone jump and squeak, colorful rewards when others like your posts, and algorithms that push out the most emotional content to stimulate your most base emotions of anger, shame or glee.—
Lisa Schirch,
The Conversation,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incite. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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