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Glite Dictionary
instigative

instigative

8.4
Likely to make people protest or cause unrest
  • adjective
  • /ˈɪnstɪɡeɪtɪv/
translation icon : instigador
  • The film's instigative themes encouraged young people to stand up for their rights.

Examples

  • The teacher's instigative remarks led the students to question authority.

  • She's in no way fair, balanced, or anything but instigative.

    Blog text (34)

  • Those comments were not made by bloggers; they were made by little SS instigative Hitlers.

    Blog text (11)

  • His instigative speech stirred the crowd to demand change.

Synonyms

provocative
vsinstigative
112 6.7

Causes a strong reaction, for example anger or lively talk

can mean causing strong feeling without aiming to provoke rebellion or action
inflammatory
vsinstigative
  • Literature
41 7.4

Tending to make people angry or cause strong reactions

targets inciting people toward unrest rather than merely causing annoyance
incendiary
vsinstigative
  • Literature
13 7.9

Likely to make people angry and cause public protest

focuses on provoking others into action aimed at unrest or rebellion
seditious
vsinstigative
  • Formal
4 9.9

Encouraging people to oppose or rebel against the government

is about provoking action aimed at rebellion or overthrow of authority
rabble-rousing
vsinstigative
  • Literature
2 8.6

Making ordinary people angry or excited about politics

focuses on provoking political action from the public, not only stirring emotion
provoking
vsinstigative
1 4.8

Causing annoyance or anger in someone

is less about inciting rebellion and more about causing anger or irritation
inductive
vsinstigative
1 7.6

Making someone want to do something

is more general influence rather than specifically provoking rebellion or unrest
incitive
vsinstigative
8.9

Likely to cause strong feelings that make people act or protest

leans specifically toward provoking collective action and unrest rather than just emotion
insurrectional
vsinstigative
9.9

Supporting or joining a revolt against the government

describes tendency to provoke collective rebellion rather than simple anger or irritation
fermentative
vsinstigative
9.1

Causing many people to become angry and demand political change

tends to cause unrest and action on a broad social scale rather than annoyance
agitational
vsinstigative
8.8

Designed to make people protest or take action

aims to provoke active protest or unrest rather than casual anger
agitating
vsinstigative
7.0

Causing people to feel angry or annoyed

is more about raising anger and irritation than directly causing rebellion
agitative
vsinstigative
8.3

Causing people to feel upset or angry

focuses on causing agitation more than inciting organized rebellion

Antonyms

soothing
81 2.9

That makes pain or worry feel less strong

How Provocative

incendiary
  • Literature
13 7.9
instigative
8.4
inflammatory
  • Literature
41 7.4
provocative
112 6.7

Surface Forms

instigative positive

Morphology

instigative = instigate (transparent) = instigate + ive

Formed regularly from the verb 'instigate' with the adjectival suffix '-ive'; meaning 'tending to instigate' is directly derivable.

Etymology

Instigative comes from the Latin verb instigare, which means 'to urge on', and shares the same root as the common verb instigate. So, think of someone who pushes or encourages a group to act; that's why an instigative remark or person can lead others to protest or cause trouble.