noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ɪnˈsaɪt.mənt/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N S AY1 T M AH0 N T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal way.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The sheriff was constantly goading me into shooting trespassers, which should surely count as incitement at the very least.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
an act of urging on or spurring on or rousing to action or instigating
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the incitement of mutiny
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: incitation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: arousal, rousing
3
noun
Meaning 3
the act of exhorting; an earnest attempt at persuasion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: exhortation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: persuasion, suasion
Narrower terms: pep talk
4
noun
Meaning 4
needed encouragement
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the result was a provocation of vigorous investigation
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: provocation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: encouragement
Narrower terms: subornation
5
noun
Meaning 5
something that incites or provokes; a means of arousing or stirring to action
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: incitation, provocation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: psychic energy, mental energy
Narrower terms: signal
History
Etymology
From French incitement, from Latin incitāmentum (“incentive; incitement”), from incitō (“urge; quicken; incite”, verb). Equivalent to incite + -ment.
Across languages
Translations
46 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
تَحْرِيض
(taḥrīḍ)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Armenian:
սադրանք
(sadrankʻ)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Belarusian:
падбухто́рванне
(padbuxtórvannje)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Bulgarian:
подбу́да
(podbúda)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Bulgarian:
подстрека́телство
(podstrekátelstvo)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Catalan:
incitació
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Chinese Mandarin:
煽動 /煽动
(shāndòng)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Czech:
pobuřování
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Czech:
podněcování
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Dutch:
opruiing
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Dutch:
aansporing
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Finnish:
kehottaminen
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Finnish:
yllyttäminen
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Finnish:
kiihottaminen
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
French:
incitation
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
French:
instigation
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
German:
Anstiftung
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
German:
Verhetzung
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Hungarian:
felbujtás
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Italian:
incitamento
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Italian:
istigazione
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Japanese:
扇動
(sendō)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Korean:
선동
(seondong)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Latin:
incitamentum
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Latin:
calcar
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Macedonian:
поттикнување
(pottiknuvanje)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Malayalam:
പ്രേരണ
(prēraṇa)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Māori:
kaikaiwaiūtanga
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Persian:
تحریک
(tahrik)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Polish:
podżeganie
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Polish:
podburzanie
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Portuguese:
incitação
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Portuguese:
incitamento
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Romanian:
incitare
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Romanian:
incitație
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Romanian:
stârnire
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Russian:
подстрека́тельство
(podstrekátelʹstvo)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Slovak:
podnecovanie
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Slovene:
pobuda
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Slovene:
hujskanje
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Slovene:
napeljevanje
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Slovene:
ščuvanje
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Spanish:
incitación
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Tajik:
таҳрик
(tahrik)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Tocharian B:
ṣertwe
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
Ukrainian:
підбу́рювання
(pidbúrjuvannja)
— a call to act; encouragement to act, often in an illegal fashion
