instigator
noun
Simple meaning
Someone who deliberately foments trouble.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
instuhgayterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪnstəɡeɪtɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Someone who deliberately foments trouble
“She was the instigator of their quarrel.”
A person who intentionally instigates, incites, or starts something, especially one that creates trouble.
A person who initiates a course of action
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Someone who deliberately foments trouble
Used this way, instigator is a common word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“She was the instigator of their quarrel.”
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “instigator of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- inciter , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: instigator of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use instigator
- “She was the instigator of their quarrel.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.