incitive

8.9

Likely to cause strong feelings that make people act or protest

adjective
/ɪnˈsɪtɪv/

: incitante

Some social media posts can be quite incitive and lead to heated debates.

Examples

That was an incitive performance that moved the audience!
The speaker's incitive words stirred the crowd to demand change.
Her incitive attitude inspired her teammates to push beyond their limits.
The incitive speech inspired many to take action.
The politician's incitive speech stirred the crowd to take action against the proposed law.
Many artists use incitive imagery in their work to challenge societal norms and provoke thought.
The movie's incitive themes ignited a passionate debate among viewers about social justice.

Synonyms

provocative

vsincitive

112 6.7

Causes a strong reaction, for example anger or lively talk

arouses strong feelings that push people toward action or rebellion

inflammatory

vsincitive

Literature

41 7.4

Tending to make people angry or cause strong reactions

arouses strong feelings or rebellion in any form beyond words alone

incendiary

vsincitive

Literature

13 7.9

Likely to make people angry and cause public protest

arouses strong feelings more broadly, not always aiming at direct conflict

seditious

vsincitive

Formal

4 9.9

Encouraging people to oppose or rebel against the government

arouses strong feelings or action in many situations, not only political opposition

rabble-rousing

vsincitive

Literature

2 8.6

Making ordinary people angry or excited about politics

arouses strong feelings or action broadly, not limited to mobilizing the public

instigative

vsincitive

8.4

Likely to make people protest or cause unrest

arouses feelings or action broadly, not only by pushing people to act

Antonyms

calming

6 2.6

An action that makes someone less angry or upset

repressive

Specialized

1 7.2

Causing genes to be turned off so they do not make proteins

How Provocative

incendiary

Literature

13 7.9

inflammatory

Literature

41 7.4

incitive

8.9

provocative

112 6.7

stirring

3 3.7

Surface Forms

incitive positive

Morphology

incitive = incite (transparent) = incite + ive

Standard adjectival formation from the verb 'incite' meaning 'tending to incite'; the meaning is directly derived and should be clear to learners who know 'incite'.

Etymology

The word incitive comes from the Latin incitare, which meant 'to urge on' or 'to move'. Think of incite and excite; they both mean 'to stir up', so incitive describes something that makes people feel strongly or act.