incited

verb

past tense of incite
1
as in provoked
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in encouraged
to rouse to strong feeling or action the demagogue's fiery rant incited the crowd to riot

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incited His death-stare look and arm-claw mound demeanor incited a certain fear that was backed up by results. — Sam Blum, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The trade war incited a wave of rerouting goods through third-party countries, as well as led to companies under-reporting the value of goods or mislabeling products as alternative goods not subject to as high of import taxes. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 But during his visit, the fifth in line to the British throne incited more controversy by lashing out publicly after a High Court judge delivered a devastating ruling in his lawsuit against the Daily Mail. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 28 July 2026 The incident and imagery of it ignited weeks of emotional discourse by fans and pundits across the media landscape, and often incited racial debates. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026 And they’re essentially being incited to misbehave, or do something that is unlawful. — Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 16 July 2026 Whatever its international echoes, the exhibition incited local responses by far-right entities. — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 10 July 2026 Another wrinkle of the law has incited ample speculation about Marshall, Kansas’ junior Republican senator, who is facing his first reelection bid this fall. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 The prosecution said the two activists had incited a mob that subsequently attacked a security vehicle, seized the soldier and beat him to death with sticks and bricks. — ABC News, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incited
  1. provoked
  2. encouraged
  3. stimulated
Verb
  • The comment at a rally last Sunday titillated, provoked and enraged different audiences simultaneously, all but guaranteeing saturation news coverage and even more attention.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The incidents had provoked international scrutiny of the country’s assault on Gaza.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of provoked
Verb
  • After Wednesday's hearing, Warren said he was encouraged by the judge's questions and hoped for a ruling before students return for the new semester.
    — Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The story reported that, wary of potential consequences for employment in California, Newsom had encouraged Bonta to find a solution out of court.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • So the majority of product [is] stimulated by patient interaction, and the hero product has to be the Polish.
    — Rachel Burchfield, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • What might have seemed dull to a thought stimulated by the senses or by intellectual pursuits becomes an opportunity to listen for what Christ is imparting to us – nurturing our progress in understanding the things of Spirit, God.
    — Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of stimulated

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Cite this Entry

“Incited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incited. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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