as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction
a deliberately inciting comment questioning someone's manhood started the brawl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in provoking
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraging
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 inciting
Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
That’s the inciting incident of After the Hunt, directed by Luca Guadagnino (Queer, Challengers) and written by Nora Garrett.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
His alleged infidelity became the inciting incident of the series, and Brooks’s sisters rally around her amid the breakup.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
That public humiliation is The Chair Company’s inciting incident.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2025
Things are odd enough on the yacht before the big, inciting maybe-murder.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Scammers use sophisticated tactics that prey on the vulnerabilities of older adults, inciting panic and inducing isolation so that individuals make decisions alone and quickly.
—Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
The group also slammed how authorities arrested some social media users and activists for purportedly inciting violence.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
That’s inciting lots of speculation again — (about) the sustainable fuel, the energy balance.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Wole’s infidelity is an important inciting incident, but this moment of personal reckoning was inevitable.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Rivers, in a Facebook post, accused Antao of inciting the attack by antagonizing her.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
There's a naivety and sweetness to them that's ripped away in an instant when the two passionately make love in the barren house, the inciting incident for the demise of their relationship.
—Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
That’s the inciting incident of After the Hunt, directed by Luca Guadagnino (Queer, Challengers) and written by Nora Garrett.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
His alleged infidelity became the inciting incident of the series, and Brooks’s sisters rally around her amid the breakup.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Although Odinga was never accused of inciting violence, others — including future presidents Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta — were.
—CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025
That public humiliation is The Chair Company’s inciting incident.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2025
Things are odd enough on the yacht before the big, inciting maybe-murder.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Scammers use sophisticated tactics that prey on the vulnerabilities of older adults, inciting panic and inducing isolation so that individuals make decisions alone and quickly.
—Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
The group also slammed how authorities arrested some social media users and activists for purportedly inciting violence.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
That’s inciting lots of speculation again — (about) the sustainable fuel, the energy balance.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Wole’s infidelity is an important inciting incident, but this moment of personal reckoning was inevitable.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Rivers, in a Facebook post, accused Antao of inciting the attack by antagonizing her.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inciting
Adjective
-
Prosecutors are citing the provocative act theory, a part of the law that makes someone liable for situations where a violent crime victim uses lawful, fatal self-defense.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Experts earlier said North Korea could conduct provocative missile tests before or during the APEC summit to underscore its commitment to gain recognition as a nuclear weapons state.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This tender, wry and thought-provoking story offers a different perspective on looking for love, regret and the ‘what if’ of it all.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Skims is no stranger to bold and thought-provoking products, having previously caused a stir with its controversial line of face wraps.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In low, incantatory voices, the lamas were reading from The Tibetan Book of the Dead, encouraging my grandmother to move forward without fear in the bardo between death and rebirth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
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But rather than responding with anger, the university’s president, Astrid Tuminez, is encouraging dialogue.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What Happens Next Greene is likely to continue stoking controversy by breaking with her party, as conversations around immigration remain charged and divisive.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
-
For context, geomagnetic storms are caused by fiery eruptions from the sun's surface that send charged particles zipping toward our planet.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Pneumococcal vaccines work by stimulating an immune system response to pneumonia bacteria.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The mouse portion of the new research found that Covid mRNA vaccination appeared to make the immune system more attuned to recognizing tumors as a threat by stimulating dendritic cells, a type of white blood cell.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inciting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inciting. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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