instigator
/ˈɪnstəˌɡeɪtɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.66 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person who intentionally instigates, incites, or starts something, especially one that creates trouble.
Example Sentences
- "Near-synonyms: see Thesaurus:troublemaker"
- "[T]he Pope doth not keepe his quarter, but will needs breake forth of the rayles and limits of that diſtinction, taking vpon him to be authorized alſo temporally, and that, for the ſuppreſſion and ſubverſion of the Civill Soveraignity, […] whence muſt neceſſarily ariſe either privie complottings, or open attempts, in favour of their opinions, and in furtherance of their deſires, which how farre it will extend, and into how deepe degrees it vſeth to grow, many ſorowfull and fearefull examples hath in this Realme demonſtratively declared vnto vs, to every whereof Papacy hath beene the ſtirrer and inſtigator."
- "[H]e [Jesus Christ] whom they deſpiſed as the Carpenters Sonne and bad come downe from the Croſſe, if he could, is exalted to the right hand of God, having all judgement committed to him, having before hand in his death, judged, ſentenced, & overcom Sathan the Prince of this World, the chief inſtigatour of his crucifiers, who had the power of death."
- "The author (obviously a naturalist of no mean order) received an official rap over the knuckles for trespassing, and for encouraging others to do so. Evidently the instigator of this reprimand had not visited the railway in blackberry time!"
- "In studies designed to arouse aggression, the instigator often not only threatens the subject, but also expresses an extremely high self-evaluation. Subjects are insulted about their intelligence, sexual attractiveness, and character, and, at the same time, the instigator implies or explicitly describes his own superiority in these respects."
- "I love my lover. I do not want to be the instigator of anguish for her."
Etymology
From Latin īnstīgātor (“stimulator”), from īnstīgāre (present infinitive of īnstīgō (“to incite, set on, stimulate, rouse or urge”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp, to stab; to puncture; to goad”)) + -or (from -ō (suffix forming masculine agent nouns), from Proto-Indo-European *-h₃onh₂- (suffix forming nouns denoting authority or burden)); cognate with French instigateur. By surface analysis, instigate + -or.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: īnstīgātor, *(s)teyg-, *-h₃onh₂-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɪnstəˌɡeɪtɚ/
- British English: /ˈɪnstɪɡeɪtə/