incite

/ɪnˈsaɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈsaɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈsīt/ (ame, mw)

incite — verb

  • incitepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • inciteshe / she / it
  • incitedpast simple
  • inciting-ing form

1. to stir up strong negative emotion in people, or push them into harmful or angry

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to stir up strong negative emotion in people, or push them into harmful or angry action, often through speeches, posts, or rumours.

例句

Police arrested Cyrus for trying to incite the crowd to attack the courthouse.

incite + somebody + to + verb (push into harmful action)

The radio host was fined for posts that seemed to incite violence against migrant workers.

collocation: incite violence / hatred / a riot

同義詞
  • provoke

    broader; can trigger any strong reaction (anger, laughter, thought), while 'incite' targets harmful action.

  • instigate

    very close in meaning; often used for starting a planned wrongdoing (a coup, a fight) rather than swaying a crowd.

  • stir up

    informal everyday equivalent; preferred in spoken English when 'incite' would sound too legal or formal.

  • rouse

    wakes feelings or action in people but is neutral about whether the outcome is good or bad.

反義詞
  • calm

    to bring people back to a peaceful state, the opposite of pushing them toward violent action.

  • pacify

    formal; specifically to settle an angry or violent group.

  • deter

    to discourage someone from doing something; pulls people away from the action 'incite' pushes them toward.

文法句型

incite + somebody + to + verb

incite + noun (riot / violence / hatred)

用法筆記

Object is almost always something unwanted (violence, a riot, hatred, panic) or a person being pushed into such action. Frequently appears in legal and news contexts; in everyday speech, native speakers usually say 'stir up', 'provoke', or 'egg on' instead.

常見錯誤

❌The coach incited the team to train harder.
✅The coach urged the team to train harder.
💡'incite' has a strongly negative meaning; use it only for harmful, angry, or violent outcomes.
❌Her speech incited everyone happy.
✅Her speech made everyone happy.
💡'incite' takes an action or strong negative feeling as its object, not an adjective describing how people feel.