# instigation

/ˌɪnstɪˈɡeɪʃən/ (US) · /ˌɪnstɪɡˈeɪʃən/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/instigation
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Definition

encouragement to start something, especially trouble or a fight. You use it when one person pushes others to act.

For teachers: prompting or urging others to initiate an action, often one that is harmful or unlawful. Often appears in the phrase 'at someone's instigation', indicating that person caused the action.

## Examples

- They start the protest at her instigation.
- The police arrested the man at whose instigation the younger boys had vandalized the school.
- Historians still debate whether the uprising arose spontaneously or at the instigation of exiled leaders seeking to destabilize the regime from abroad.

## Usage notes

- Typically appears in the phrase 'at someone's instigation' to identify who prompted the action.

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