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Definition
start or set into motion — typically some kind of conflict- The group is accused of instigating the violence in the area.
instigating = starting something or causing it to happen
- She does not think the current leadership will instigate significant social reform.
- When the second demo was finished, Alan instigated high-fives all around, and the young people laughed at his enthusiasm.Dave Eggers -- A Hologram for the King
- Known as "the Butcher" and "the Quack," Kitamura was Ofuna's most eager instigator of beatings.Laura Hillenbrand -- Unbroken
- Even so, you could call her the instigator.Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl
- What has become of Danglars, the instigator, and therefore the most guilty?Alexandre Dumas -- The Count of Monte Cristo
- "I really can see myself going to Oklahoma," Michael said, provoking a frenzy on the Oklahoma football fan Web sites, and instigating a number of calls from Oklahoma coaches.Michael Lewis -- The Blind Side
- Oscar Danilo Blandon, the so-called Johnny Appleseed of Crack, may have been the instigator of one ripple effect, in which by his actions a single person inadvertently causes an ocean of despair.Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner -- Freakonomics
- He selects people who know absolutely nothing and instigates chaos through them.Robert Ludlum -- The Bourne Identity
- at his heels a rabble of his companions, thither provoked and instigated by his distemper,William Shakespeare -- The Merry Wives of Windsor
- Naturally, you can instigate one if finding your father's identity is important to you.J.D. Robb -- Immortal in Death
- Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.O. Henry -- The Gift of the Magi
- Did instigate the bedlam brainsick DuchessShakespeare, William -- King Henry VI, Part 2
- Even if you were really criminal, for that can only drive you to desperation, and not instigate you to virtue.Shelley, Mary -- Frankenstein
- Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.Henry, O. -- The Four Million
- She is less of an instigator.Kiera Cass -- The Elite
- An average woman is in this superior to an average man—that she never instigates, only responds.Thomas Hardy -- Jude the Obscure
- From the KGB's perspective, outside instigation is the far more attractive alternative; it makes for a bigger operation.Tom Clancy -- The Hunt for Red October
- Take the whole situation all around, it was one of the gaudiest effects I ever instigated.Mark Twain -- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- Those closest to the instigator seemed to be responding as color and light flowed from them toward him.William P. Young -- The Shack
instigate = start something or take actions that cause it to happen
instigated = started or caused something to happen
instigator = someone who starts something or causes it to happen
instigator = person who started something or caused it to happen
instigator = someone who started something or caused it to happen
instigating = causing something to happen
instigator = someone who starts something or causes it to happen
instigates = starts or sets into motion
instigated = set into motion
instigate = start or take actions that will cause something to happen
instigates = sets into motion
(editor's note: The suffix "-tion", converts a verb into a noun that denotes the action or result of the verb. Typically, there is a slight change in the ending of the root verb, as in action, education, and observation.)