inciting 1 of 2

adjective

as in provocative
serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction a deliberately inciting comment questioning someone's manhood started the brawl

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inciting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of incite
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

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2
as in encouraging
to rouse to strong feeling or action the demagogue's fiery rant incited the crowd to riot

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inciting
Adjective
The show will begin with Pam grieving the loss of young Jason, who supposedly drowned in the town lake — the inciting incident of the franchise. — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026 Morocco arrested multiple people who circulated the inciting statements, Interior Ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi said. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Societies throughout history have punished language deemed blasphemous, seditious, inciting or slanderous. — Paul Quigley, The Conversation, 13 July 2026 Not an inciting event for troll armadas to threaten the people involved. — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Does the opening episode need an inciting incident within the first few minutes to draw in audiences? — Michael Schneider, Variety, 22 June 2026 Although more research is needed, GLP-1 drugs trigger metabolic pathways that could be important in regulating inflammation, which is known to be an inciting factor in many different cancers. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026 What was the setting and the all-important inciting incident? — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 Of course, the pivotal thing was to create an inciting incident that propels the story without clunky exposition. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 23 May 2026
Verb
And then all of a sudden this inciting event happens, and they’re thrown, unprepared, into this world. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026 Critics have accused his party, La France Insoumise, (LFI), of seeking to use the unrest to score points in the presidential campaign and of inciting violence. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Her claim of doors being opened, meanwhile, is an act of fear-inciting misinformation, for the doors have been open for a long time to trans women, with no pattern of damage done. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 Reportedly, the nation has framed it as a necessary step to counter growing counterspace threats from Russia and China, while Beijing has warned against inciting a space arms race. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026 Just last month, two key organizers behind what used to be the only large-scale public commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre on Chinese soil were found guilty of inciting subversion. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 Former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, an Assad loyalist who was vocally in support of the government's policies, was convicted of inciting violence and justifying murder. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Targeting the wrong group could end up inciting an international incident. — Henry Larson, NPR, 15 Aug. 2026 On August 5, Nelson Mandela was arrested in South Africa for inciting workers to strike, and Marilyn Monroe was found dead at her home in Brentwood, California. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inciting
  1. provocative
  2. provoking
  3. encouraging
  4. charged
Adjective
  • The sports media rarely treats athletes who espouse liberal or progressive political views as problematic, even when those views are provocative, divisive, or factually incorrect.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Others do not, such as the TV show conceit, which, though provocative in theory, will come across to many readers as functionally cosmetic.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of provocative
Verb
  • From this format emerges the tacit thesis that the Bicentennial cultural activities excelled at provoking critical, imaginative reflections on America’s past and future from artmakers and from ordinary citizens alike.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This year, the event will once again feature panels, thought-provoking conversations, roundtables, networking opportunities and activations, along with the celebrated Billboard En Vivo performances.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of provoking
Verb
  • Bealls is launching its first national ad campaign, encouraging shoppers to rediscover the idea of a treasure hunt for the holiday season.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • While Antetokounmpo is still trying to get used to the Heat’s up-tempo style, the offensive results have already been encouraging this preseason.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraging
Adjective
  • The result is an urgent, propulsive song with a raw spirit and some of Pop’s most super-charged writing with deceptively simple lyrics about love and war, dripping with desperation.
    — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of charged

Browse Nearby Words

incites
inciting
incivility
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Cite this Entry

“Inciting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inciting. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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