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View definitions for instigator

instigator

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Example Sentences

Trent Frederic, the instigator in the Capitals’ previous meetings with the Bruins, was also not in Thursday’s lineup because of a non-covid-related illness.

The final instigator, Bob Huggins once said, was all the losing.

Though no one has been charged with leading or directing the violence, investigators are working to find out whether certain individuals helped coordinate aspects of the attack, before and during the chaos, or were merely opportunistic instigators.

For a while in the 1990s and early 2000s Michael worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, once again playing the role of scientific instigator and catalyst.

That aggressive behavior is apparently meant to disrupt the feeding insects and help the instigators score dinner, biologist and neuroscientist Alex Keene and colleagues report online November 19 in iScience.

There is something disingenuous about his playing both instigator and victim.

He was definitely an instigator [of the conversation], but I never felt intimidated.

He felt terrible, especially because it was his friend who had clearly been the instigator of the fight.

Soon afterwards Mathurin Lejeusne, the instigator of the sacrilege, was shot for some breach of military duty.

He saw at once that the man had been put up to act in this way by some one, and had little doubt that Brigson was the instigator.

To Gudrun, who wakes from sleep by his side, he points to Brynhild as the instigator of the crime, and dies.

In fact, a night's reflection had convinced him that Clameran was the instigator of the two attempts to kill him.

Would ye lay contrivances against the enlightened races of the earth, ye instigator of illegal crimes?

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for instigator?

Instigator is most commonly used in a negative way to refer to a person who provokes other people or incites trouble—often by instigating arguments or encouraging dangerous actions.

Synonyms include agitator, antagonizer, provocateur, troublemaker, incendiary, and firebrand.

Some instigators make elaborate plans to stir up trouble, but others are opportunists who find any opportunity to throw a match on a powder keg.

The term agent provocateur is more specific than provocateur. An agent provocateur is a secret agent working to incite people into illegal actions so that they can be arrested.

What is the opposite (antonym) of instigator?

The opposite of instigating is trying to stop trouble, rather than starting it. In the context of an argument or conflict, such a person might be called a peacemaker or peacekeeper. The word troubleshooter can also be used in this way. Mediators try to help parties in a conflict to resolve it.

Is instigator a negative word?

Instigator is almost always used in a negative way in the context of someone starting trouble. It’s possible to be used positively in a way that’s ironic, as in instigator of peace. In neutral contexts involving things causing other things, the neutral word catalyst is a good choice.

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On this page you'll find 28 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to instigator, such as: ringleader, agitator, firebrand, hellion, incendiary, and inciter.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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