Meanings
plural instigations
- countableuncountableThe act of instigating, or the state of being instigated; incitement; especially to evil or wickedness.
1 more example
The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets; farewells and last commiserations; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
noundeliberate and intentional triggering (of trouble or discord)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latininstīgātio
- Old Frenchinstigacïon
- Middle Englishinstigacioun
- Englishinstigation
From Middle English instigacioun, from Old French instigacïon and Latin instīgātio.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian подстрека́телство, предизви́кване
- подстрека́телство (podstrekátelstvo)act of instigating
- предизви́кване (predizvíkvane)act of instigating
Catalan instigació
- instigacióact of instigating
Czech podněcování, ponoukání
- podněcováníact of instigating
- ponoukáníact of instigating
- nabádáníact of instigating
Dutch aansporing, instigatie
- aansporingact of instigating
- instigatieact of instigating
Finnish yllytys
- yllytysact of instigating
French instigation
- instigationact of instigating
German Anstiftung, Aufwiegelung
- Anstiftungact of instigating
- Aufwiegelungact of instigating
Italian istigazione
- istigazioneact of instigating
Māori whakakīkīnga
- whakakīkīngaact of instigating
Polish podszept, namowa
- podszeptact of instigating
- namowaact of instigating
- podjudzanieact of instigating
- podburzanieact of instigating
Russian подстрека́тельство
- подстрека́тельство (podstrekátelʹstvo)act of instigating
Spanish instigación
- instigaciónact of instigating
Swedish anstiftan
- anstiftanact of instigating
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with instigation
Cite this entry
instigation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instigation
“instigation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instigation. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “instigation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/instigation.
Source: instigation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.