instigate : M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for November 28 is:

instigate \IN-stuh-gayt\ verb
: to goad or urge forward : provoke, incite

Example sentence:
It was believed that much of the public backlash against the mayor was instigated by his political rival, who published a smear attack in the local newspaper.

Did you know?
Although "instigate" is often used to mean "incite" (as in "hoodlums instigating violence"), the two words differ slightly in their overall usage. "Incite" usually stresses an act of stirring something up that one did not necessarily initiate ("the court's decision incited riots"). "Instigate" definitely implies responsibility for initiating or encouraging someone else's action and usually suggests dubious or underhanded intent ("he was charged with instigating a conspiracy"). Another similar word, "foment," implies causing something by means of persistent goading ("the leader's speeches fomented a rebellion"). Deriving from the past participle of the Latin verb "instigare," "instigate" first appeared in English in the mid-16th century, approximately 60 years after "incite" and about 70 years before "foment."

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